China-Laos Railway Project enters implementation stage
Xinhua News Agency
On November 13 representatives of the Chinese government and Lao government signed an inter-governmental railway cooperation agreement in Beijing, marking the China-Laos Railway project entering the implementation stage.
The China-Laos Railway is the first overseas railway project with China as the main investor and operator, directly connecting to the Chinese railway network. The whole line will adopt Chinese technical standards and equipment. After entering Lao territory via the Mohan / Boten Port, it will extend southward to the Lao capital of Vientiane. The railway line will cover a total length of 418 kilometres, of which more than 60 percent will be bridges and tunnels. The design speed is 160 kilometres per hour. The project will involve a total investment of nearly 40 billion yuan of which China and Laos have agreed a 70:30 split respectively.
The China-Laos Railway is expected to open to traffic in 2020. Upon completion, the project will on the one hand greatly promote economic and social development in Laos, while on the other hand will inject new impetus into the economic development of Southwest China. In the future, the China-Laos Railway is expected connect with the railways in Thailand, Malaysia and other countries.
