Passenger Wagon Boost to Meet High Demand on Thai-Lao Railway

Source: Vientiane Times

More than 13,000 passengers have used the cross-border Bangkok-Vientiane railway since it opened on July 19, prompting the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to add another carriage to meet demand, according to the Bangkok Post.

SRT Governor Veeris Ammarapala said on Sunday he had met with Daochinda Siharat, the Governor of the Lao National Railway State Enterprise, after signing a technical implementation memorandum on freight transport on Friday.

The aim is to expand the capacity of cross-border transport and serve more passengers.

Mr Veeris said both parties are also jointly operating cross-border freight trains, aiming to reach the target of 14 round trips a day, and are considering a further increase.

To meet passenger demand, SRT will add another air-conditioned sleeper carriage.

SRT will provide decommissioned carriages to Lao Railways. These will be renovated and used to transport goods between Thanaleng Station in Vientiane and Nong Khai Station in Thailand.

“This is an important step in fostering closer ties between our two countries. It will also support the development of rail transport in the ASEAN region and enhance the network’s potential to establish Thailand as the region’s rail transport hub,” Mr Veeris said.

The daily cross-border train departs from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station at 9.25 pm and arrives at Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station at 9.05 am.

SRT also runs trains from Udon Thani to Vientiane and another service from Nong Khai to Vientiane over a distance of 19 kilometers.

The Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station is about 16km from the Vientiane Train Station where passengers can board a train on the high-speed Laos-China railway to various locations in northern Laos and China.