China invests in key railway bridge in Southeast Asia

The opening of the Laos-China railway last year has led to the movement of large volumes of goods between the two countries. The route is also vital to Thailand as it is its gateway to China. The three countries are currently considering building a dedicated rail bridge along the Thai-Laos border to ease freight traffic and bridge gaps in infrastructure. Railway Supply magazine writes about this with reference to RailFreight.

The China-Laos Railway is an electrified railway crossing Laos. It connects Kunming in South China and Vientiane in Laos, near the border with Thailand. Its construction began in May 2010, and in December 2021 the entire line opened to traffic.

Prior to the opening of the railway, the National Railways of Thailand said it would increase the frequency of freight trains to and from Laos to cope with increased volumes of goods destined for the Chinese market. In the long term, between 2023 and 2025, the frequency of cargo round trips should increase to 16 per day and to 24 in 2026.

Shunting robot debuts in Berlin

Despite the willingness of the Thai railway to increase the number of round trips and invest in transport, one problem remained. The track gauge in Thailand and Laos is different. As a result, trains transiting between the two countries have to stop before the border and reload cargo onto trucks crossing the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge. From there, cargoes are again taken to trains bound for either the hinterland of Laos and China, or the hinterland of Thailand.

In less than a year, more than a million tons of goods were transported along the route, and it became clear to the three countries that something had to change. As a result, they are currently investigating the construction of a rail bridge parallel to the existing road bridge between Laos and Thailand. Information provided by the Public Broadcasting Service of Thailand speaks of a bridge with four railway lines, probably serving two different gauges. This project demonstrates China’s commitment to equal investment in projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, of which Laos and Thailand are part.

Railway news you might have missed:

Siemens and DB are testing a hydrogen train and a mobile refueling station for the first time