Vientiane, Laos, “Surapong” welcomes passengers and tourists to open the first train service between Thailand and Laos on the Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad) route, promoting the economies of both countries. It is expected that there will be more than 200,000 users per year, generating income of more than 67 million baht per year.
Mr. Surapong Piyachote, Deputy Minister of Transport, presided over the welcoming of passengers and tourists at the inaugural opening of the international train service between Thailand and Lao PDR on the route Krungthep Aphiwat – Vientiane (Khamsavad) to facilitate connecting travel for citizens and tourists and transporting goods between each other, with Mr. Saysongkham Manodham, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport of the Lao PDR, joining the ceremony.
Mr. Surapong Piyachote, Deputy Minister of Transport, said that the inaugural international train service between Thailand and Laos on the Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad) route is one of the successes that the State Railway
of Thailand has carried out in upgrading the quality of service to the people, in accordance with the policy assigned to the State Railway of Thailand to integrate cooperation with the Lao National Railway Enterprise to expand international passenger train services, which can seamlessly connect travel between Thailand and Laos for people and tourists in both countries, which is in line with the government’s IGNITE THAILAND policy that aims to drive Thailand towards its goal of becoming a major tourism hub in the world, in attracting no less than 35 million foreign tourists to travel to the country, generating no less than 3 trillion baht in revenue for the tourism industry. Tourists from the Lao PDR are among the top 5 groups of tourists with the highest rate of domestic tourism. It is expected that throughout 2024, no less than 977,000 tourists from the Lao PDR will travel to Thailand, generating no less than 36,960 million baht in revenue, helping to circulate the economy from travel.
For the opening of th
e Thailand – Laos intercity train service, the route Krungthep Aphiwat Central Station – Vientiane (Khamsavad) – Krungthep Aphiwat Central Station, a distance of 654 kilometers, has opened for service with 2 round trip trains. In addition, the route Udon Thani – Vientiane (Khamsavad) – Udon Thani has opened for service with 2 round trip trains, totaling 4 trains/day. The first ticket for July 19, 2024 was sold on July 10. It was found that there were a lot of tourists and people interested, causing all seats to be fully booked in a short time. At the same time, the State Railway of Thailand has received cooperation from the Vientiane Transportation Association to provide convenient services for traveling to various tourist attractions in Vientiane more easily. It is expected that the number of users of all 4 trains will increase by more than 200,000 people per year, generating income of more than 67 million baht per year. Interested persons can inquire for more information at the Customer Service Center, Tel.
1690, 24 hours a day, or the Facebook fan page of the PR Team of the State Railway of Thailand.
Mr. Surapong added that in the past, the State Railway of Thailand has prepared to the highest level in every aspect before the full service starts by organizing training for officials of the Lao National Railway Enterprise in train operation, including drivers, station staff, road barrier staff, wrench operators, interchange staff and ticket sales staff, including inspecting track conditions and using stone compactors to improve track conditions, as well as inspecting signaling systems to prepare for the opening of train services. In addition, the train operation test between Udon Thani Station – Nong Khai Station – Thanaleng Station – Vientiane Station (Khamsavad) was completed on July 13-14, 2024, with the test results being successful.
Vientiane Railway Station (Khamsavad) is located at Ban Khamsavad, Saiyachet District, only 7.5 kilometers north of Tha Na Laeng Pier. It is a 2-storey, 2-platform railway stat
ion designed to transport passengers and goods using a 1-meter gauge rail system, covering an area of ??over 10,000 square meters. The total construction budget was 994.68 million baht. It is the second railway station on the Thai-Laos railway network, which is important for international rail transportation. In addition to being a link for logistics transportation via Thanaleng freight terminal, it is also near the That Luang Special Economic Zone, the center of tourism, trade, and business in Vientiane, which will benefit future economic, trade, and tourism cooperation.
Finally, the Ministry of Transport and the State Railway of Thailand hope that the opening of the Thailand-Laos international train service this time will be an important expansion of cooperation between the two countries that can connect the rail transportation network together, resulting in growth to the region. The train can pick up and drop off passengers traveling by plane to Udon Thani Airport to continue by train to Vientiane without
having to transfer to other vehicles as in the past. This can drive Thailand to become the center of tourism and logistics in the region.
Source: Thai News Agency