Vientiane, Thailand-Laos launch first international passenger train service, Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad) route, connecting the two capitals via rail system. Mr. Surapong Piyachote, Deputy Minister of Transport and Mr. Saysongkram Manotam, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport of Lao PDR, presided over the opening ceremony of the Thailand-Laos railway to accommodate passengers and tourists traveling on the 133rd express train, the inaugural trip on the Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad) route. Mr. Surapong Piyachote said that today is Asalha Bucha Day, which is considered a major Buddhist holiday in Laos. Therefore, it is an auspicious day to officially open the train service from Bangkok to Vientiane Station (Khamsavad). Previously, Laos had a railway connecting Nong Khai Station on the Thai side with Thanaleng Station on the Laos side, a distance of 3.5 kilometers, with four passenger trains running between Nong Khai and Thanaleng per day. Later, the Thai side provided assistance to Laos in the const ruction of a 1,000-meter-wide railway (meter gauge) Phase 2, Thanaleng-Vientiane section, a distance of 7.5 kilometers, which was completed at the end of 2023. There was a meeting between Thailand and Laos to prepare for the opening of the railway route, along with training train drivers for personnel of the Lao Railway. On 14-20 May 2024, SRT and LNRE began testing the train from Thanaleng Station to Khamsavad Station. To test the system and check the technical side, a virtual train test was conducted on July 13, 2024. The test results were successful, so the train service was officially opened today. Mr. Surapong added that Khamsawad Station is located in Ban Khamsawad, Saysettha District, Vientiane Capital, approximately 7.5 kilometers from Thanaleng Station and approximately 16 kilometers from Vientiane Capital Station. This station has 2 floors with 2 platforms, with the first floor covering 6,300 square meters and the second floor covering 3,600 square meters. It received a loan from the Neighboring Co untries Economic Development Cooperation Office (Public Organization) under the Thai-Laos Railway Construction Project, Phase 2 (Thanaleng-Vientiane Line) with a budget of 994 million baht, consisting of construction of the main railway system covering a distance of 7.50 km, signaling system construction, construction of Vientiane Station, staff housing, entrance to Vientiane Station, and railway intersection construction. The Prime Ministers of both countries presided over the opening ceremony of Vientiane Railway Station (Khamsawad) on October 30, 2023. Mr. Surapong added that the opening of this train service is in accordance with the cooperation agreement between the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Lao National Railway State Enterprise (LNRE), using LNRE drivers to control the train from Thanaleng Station (International Station) to Vientiane Station (Khamsavad), with SRT staff acting as mentors on the diesel-electric locomotives. In addition, SRT has organized a training course on locomotive driv ing for LNRE drivers to enable them to control the train safely, with Thailand's Office of Economic Development Cooperation (OAE) responsible for the training costs. Mr. Surapong added that the opening of the Bangkok-Vientiane railway route, linking the capitals of Thailand and Laos, will make travel by rail more convenient for people and tourists in both countries. There will be four trains in service per day: Express No. 133 Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad), Express No. 148 Vientiane (Khamsavad)-Udon Thani, Express No. 147 Udon Thani-Vientiane (Khamsavad), and Express No. 134 Vientiane (Khamsavad)-Krungthep Apiwat. Passengers who will Lao PDR can travel by express train No. 133, leaving Krungthep Aphiwat Central Station at 20.25 hrs., arriving at Nong Khai Station at 07.55 hrs., covering a distance of approximately 621 kilometers, taking approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes. Then get off the train with your luggage and a passport valid for at least 6 months or a border pass to proceed to the immigration chec kpoint at Nong Khai Station, which has 3 cars, 2 lanes per car, and walk through the customs checkpoint, while the train will cut the front 4 cars and move to wait at the north side of Nong Khai Station. Once passengers have passed through immigration and customs, they can walk onto the train, taking approximately 40 minutes before the train departs Nong Khai Station at 08.35 hrs., crossing the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge. Passing Thanaleng Station to Vientiane Station (Khamsavad), a distance of approximately 10 kilometers, it takes approximately 30 minutes. The train will arrive at Vientiane Station (Khamsavad) at 09.05 a.m. Upon arrival at Vientiane Station (Khamsavad), passengers getting off the train will be forced to walk through the immigration checkpoint, which has 3 cars in total (2 counters per car), including Cart 1 (far left) for holders of diplomatic and official passports, Cart 2 (middle) for holders of general passports and border passes, Cart 3 for holders of ASEAN passports. For foreign to urists who do not receive a visa-free visa from Laos, there is a Visa on Arrival (VOA) point on the far right of the booth for ASEAN passports. When exiting the Vientiane Railway Station (Khamsavad), you will find a bus ticket counter on the right. There are buses to Vientiane city center with only 4 departures: in the morning at 9.30 and 9.40 (picking up passengers on train 133 and dropping off passengers on train 148) and in the evening at 18.30 and 18.45 (picking up passengers on train 147 and dropping off passengers on train 134). The fare for adults is 20,000 kip and for children it is 10,000 kip. There are also taxis and vans that travel to various places in Vientiane and nearby cities. Including Vientiane Capital Railway Station (Laos-China) which is approximately 16 kilometers away from Vientiane Station (Khamsavad). In addition, at Vientiane Station (Khamsavad) there is also a counter for booking Laos-China Railway (LCR) tickets, which has a specific counter for selling them on the far left of the Th ai-Laos Railway ticket counter, where you can also buy train tickets. Mr. Surapong added that the express train No. 133 on the route Krungthep Aphiwat - Vientiane (Khamsavad) and the express train No. 134 Vientiane (Khamsavad) - Krungthep Phiwat, the fare for a third-class fan seat is 281 baht (152 seats), the second-class air-conditioned seat is 574 baht (64 seats), the second-class air-conditioned seat and sleeper (30 seats), the upper berth is 784 baht and the lower berth is 874 baht. As for the express train No. 148 Vientiane (Khamsavad) - Nong Khai - Udon Thani and the express train No. 147 Udon Thani - Nong Khai - Vientiane (Khamsavad), the fare is special, divided into the following stages: Udon Thani - Vientiane: Fan car 100 baht / Air-conditioned car 200 baht Udon Thani - Nong Khai: Fan bus 30 baht / Air-conditioned bus 80 baht Nong Khai - Vientiane: Fan bus 70 baht / Air-conditioned bus 120 baht Mr. Surapong concluded by saying, 'The opening of this international train service is a demonstratio n of the commitment of both countries to develop efficient, comfortable and safe trains, which will help promote travel and transportation between the two countries, as well as stimulate trade, investment and tourism, leading to a stronger relationship between Thailand and Laos.' The opening of this train line is a significant achievement in the cooperation between the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Lao National Railway State Enterprise (LNRE), which have jointly driven the project to develop a railway network linking the two countries continuously, which will elevate rail transportation in the Mekong River Basin region to be more modern and efficient Source: Thai News Agency

Vientiane, Thailand-Laos launch first international passenger train service, Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad) route, connecting the two capitals via rail system. Mr. Surapong Piyachote, Deputy Minister of Transport and Mr. Saysongkram Manotam, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport of Lao PDR, presided over the opening ceremony of the Thailand-Laos railway to accommodate passengers and tourists traveling on the 133rd express train, the inaugural trip on the Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad) route. Mr. Surapong Piyachote said that today is Asalha Bucha Day, which is considered a major Buddhist holiday in Laos. Therefore, it is an auspicious day to officially open the train service from Bangkok to Vientiane Station (Khamsavad). Previously, Laos had a railway connecting Nong Khai Station on the Thai side with Thanaleng Station on the Laos side, a distance of 3.5 kilometers, with four passenger trains running between Nong Khai and Thanaleng per day. Later, the Thai side provided assistance to Laos in the const ruction of a 1,000-meter-wide railway (meter gauge) Phase 2, Thanaleng-Vientiane section, a distance of 7.5 kilometers, which was completed at the end of 2023. There was a meeting between Thailand and Laos to prepare for the opening of the railway route, along with training train drivers for personnel of the Lao Railway. On 14-20 May 2024, SRT and LNRE began testing the train from Thanaleng Station to Khamsavad Station. To test the system and check the technical side, a virtual train test was conducted on July 13, 2024. The test results were successful, so the train service was officially opened today. Mr. Surapong added that Khamsawad Station is located in Ban Khamsawad, Saysettha District, Vientiane Capital, approximately 7.5 kilometers from Thanaleng Station and approximately 16 kilometers from Vientiane Capital Station. This station has 2 floors with 2 platforms, with the first floor covering 6,300 square meters and the second floor covering 3,600 square meters. It received a loan from the Neighboring Co untries Economic Development Cooperation Office (Public Organization) under the Thai-Laos Railway Construction Project, Phase 2 (Thanaleng-Vientiane Line) with a budget of 994 million baht, consisting of construction of the main railway system covering a distance of 7.50 km, signaling system construction, construction of Vientiane Station, staff housing, entrance to Vientiane Station, and railway intersection construction. The Prime Ministers of both countries presided over the opening ceremony of Vientiane Railway Station (Khamsawad) on October 30, 2023. Mr. Surapong added that the opening of this train service is in accordance with the cooperation agreement between the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Lao National Railway State Enterprise (LNRE), using LNRE drivers to control the train from Thanaleng Station (International Station) to Vientiane Station (Khamsavad), with SRT staff acting as mentors on the diesel-electric locomotives. In addition, SRT has organized a training course on locomotive driv ing for LNRE drivers to enable them to control the train safely, with Thailand's Office of Economic Development Cooperation (OAE) responsible for the training costs. Mr. Surapong added that the opening of the Bangkok-Vientiane railway route, linking the capitals of Thailand and Laos, will make travel by rail more convenient for people and tourists in both countries. There will be four trains in service per day: Express No. 133 Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavad), Express No. 148 Vientiane (Khamsavad)-Udon Thani, Express No. 147 Udon Thani-Vientiane (Khamsavad), and Express No. 134 Vientiane (Khamsavad)-Krungthep Apiwat. Passengers who will Lao PDR can travel by express train No. 133, leaving Krungthep Aphiwat Central Station at 20.25 hrs., arriving at Nong Khai Station at 07.55 hrs., covering a distance of approximately 621 kilometers, taking approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes. Then get off the train with your luggage and a passport valid for at least 6 months or a border pass to proceed to the immigration chec kpoint at Nong Khai Station, which has 3 cars, 2 lanes per car, and walk through the customs checkpoint, while the train will cut the front 4 cars and move to wait at the north side of Nong Khai Station. Once passengers have passed through immigration and customs, they can walk onto the train, taking approximately 40 minutes before the train departs Nong Khai Station at 08.35 hrs., crossing the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge. Passing Thanaleng Station to Vientiane Station (Khamsavad), a distance of approximately 10 kilometers, it takes approximately 30 minutes. The train will arrive at Vientiane Station (Khamsavad) at 09.05 a.m. Upon arrival at Vientiane Station (Khamsavad), passengers getting off the train will be forced to walk through the immigration checkpoint, which has 3 cars in total (2 counters per car), including Cart 1 (far left) for holders of diplomatic and official passports, Cart 2 (middle) for holders of general passports and border passes, Cart 3 for holders of ASEAN passports. For foreign to urists who do not receive a visa-free visa from Laos, there is a Visa on Arrival (VOA) point on the far right of the booth for ASEAN passports. When exiting the Vientiane Railway Station (Khamsavad), you will find a bus ticket counter on the right. There are buses to Vientiane city center with only 4 departures: in the morning at 9.30 and 9.40 (picking up passengers on train 133 and dropping off passengers on train 148) and in the evening at 18.30 and 18.45 (picking up passengers on train 147 and dropping off passengers on train 134). The fare for adults is 20,000 kip and for children it is 10,000 kip. There are also taxis and vans that travel to various places in Vientiane and nearby cities. Including Vientiane Capital Railway Station (Laos-China) which is approximately 16 kilometers away from Vientiane Station (Khamsavad). In addition, at Vientiane Station (Khamsavad) there is also a counter for booking Laos-China Railway (LCR) tickets, which has a specific counter for selling them on the far left of the Th ai-Laos Railway ticket counter, where you can also buy train tickets. Mr. Surapong added that the express train No. 133 on the route Krungthep Aphiwat - Vientiane (Khamsavad) and the express train No. 134 Vientiane (Khamsavad) - Krungthep Phiwat, the fare for a third-class fan seat is 281 baht (152 seats), the second-class air-conditioned seat is 574 baht (64 seats), the second-class air-conditioned seat and sleeper (30 seats), the upper berth is 784 baht and the lower berth is 874 baht. As for the express train No. 148 Vientiane (Khamsavad) - Nong Khai - Udon Thani and the express train No. 147 Udon Thani - Nong Khai - Vientiane (Khamsavad), the fare is special, divided into the following stages: Udon Thani - Vientiane: Fan car 100 baht / Air-conditioned car 200 baht Udon Thani - Nong Khai: Fan bus 30 baht / Air-conditioned bus 80 baht Nong Khai - Vientiane: Fan bus 70 baht / Air-conditioned bus 120 baht Mr. Surapong concluded by saying, 'The opening of this international train service is a demonstratio n of the commitment of both countries to develop efficient, comfortable and safe trains, which will help promote travel and transportation between the two countries, as well as stimulate trade, investment and tourism, leading to a stronger relationship between Thailand and Laos.' The opening of this train line is a significant achievement in the cooperation between the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Lao National Railway State Enterprise (LNRE), which have jointly driven the project to develop a railway network linking the two countries continuously, which will elevate rail transportation in the Mekong River Basin region to be more modern and efficient Source: Thai News Agency