Bangkok-Vientiane train service will start on July 19

[Gaybutton]

Bangkok-Vientiane train service will start on July 19

by THE NATION

July 07, 2024

The inaugural train service between Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station in Bangkok and Vientiane (Khamsavath) will start on July 19, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said on Sunday.

The first train to the Lao capital will depart Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station at 8.30pm on July 19, with Deputy Minister of Transport Surapong Piyachote presiding over the launch and joining the journey.

Train No. 133 will cover the distance in around 11 hours. The journey will include customs clearance at Nong Khai Station and the destination.

The service route for the Bangkok–Vientiane train will utilise the Northeastern Railway line, branching off from the Northern Railway line at Ban Phachi Junction Station. The train will pass through Saraburi province, Chira Road Junction Station in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Khon Kaen province, Udon Thani province, and Nong Khai province before crossing the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge to Thanalaeng Station and terminating at Vientiane Station, the SRT said.

The chief of the SRT Governor's Office, Ekkarach Sriarayanpong, said that the railway authority had held a meeting with the Lao National Railway to prepare for the opening of the train service. The discussions covered four main topics:

● The plans for the opening of the train service between Krung Thep Aphiwat, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, and Vientiane (Khamsavath), including a trial run scheduled for July 13-14

● Development plans for the tourism market

● Plans for advertising and public relations

● Enhancing freight transport capabilities between Thailand, Laos, and China

The SRT has also collaborated with the Lao National Railway to conduct trials and tests of the train service between Udon Thani Station, Nong Khai Station, Thanalaeng Station, and Vientiane Station, which were successfully completed on May 21, with no operational issues encountered.

This opening of the train service between Bangkok and Vientiane marks a significant expansion of cooperation between the two countries. Currently, train services reach only Thanalaeng Station.

Full service to Vientiane is expected to provide substantial economic, trade, and tourism benefits.

Passengers travelling by air can now transfer to Udon Thani Airport and continue their journey to Vientiane without the need for other modes of transport, enhancing the logistics systems of both countries.

The initiative aligns with the Thai government’s “Ignite Thailand” policy, which aims to establish Thailand as a central hub for tourism and logistics in the region.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/tourism/40039464

[Dodger]

Maybe we'll see more Lao boys around town in the future?

I'm not sure people will be standing in line to visit Vientiane. Being the capitol of one of the poorest countries on earth, with very few real attractions for tourists - with the exception of the culture itself which isn't that different from the rest if the tourist destinations in SE Asia...selling train tickets may be a bit challenging.

I wish they had a cheap train from China to Vientiane.

[Gaybutton]

Maybe we'll see more Lao boys around town in the future?

When the Lao boys want to get to Pattaya, they manage to get here, even via illegal border crossings, but they usually easily get a tourist visa and have very few problems extending them, although they usually have to return to Lao to do it.

Most of the time they take a bus to get to Pattaya. Whether a train will make any difference remains to be seen. My guess is whichever is the least expensive way, that's the way they'll travel.

By the way, if you have been wondering why in English the letter "s" is added to Lao, making it Laos, here's why:

The word Laos was coined by the French, who united the three Lao kingdoms in French Indochina in 1893. The name of the country is spelled the same as the plural of the dominant and most common ethnic group, the Lao people. In English, the "s" in the name of the country is pronounced, and not silent.

[Jun]

They already run trains into Laos, just over the border from Nong Khai. Due to frequency & no public transport from the existing station, I gather it's easier to take the local bus to the border and catch the train from Nong Khai. Which is exactly what I did in 2023.

The enormous new station is still some distance from the city centre, although not as far out in the boonies as the Lao-China station:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search/vi ... ?entry=ttu

The Lao boys in Pattaya seem to be from all over Laos. Some fly & some take the bus. I gather they're more likely to go to Cambodia for their visa runs.

[Gaybutton]

I gather they're more likely to go to Cambodia for their visa runs.

I don't think so, not based on what they tell me anyway. They always have told me they're going back to Lao to get another visa. I never thought to ask whether that is by choice, most likely so they can visit their families, or if for some reason that's the only way for them to do it. None have ever told me they are going to Cambodia.

[Jun]

Some of the Lao boys I know went to Cambodia during my last trip. One disappeared off very early in the morning, as he was back by early afternoon.

I asked several boys & they were getting a stamp for 6 weeks. Obviously they go home to see their families in Laos occasionally, but that can be a long trip to do every 6 weeks. Particularly if they're from northern Laos.

[Gaybutton]

They were getting a stamp for 6 weeks. Obviously they go home to see their families in Laos occasionally, but that can be a long trip to do every 6 weeks. Particularly if they're from northern Laos.

I don't know how long the boys get when they go to Lao, but the boys I know always got far longer than 6 weeks. They're in Thailand for months before they have to go back to Lao.

However long they get, I really don't care. That's their problem. What I do know is visa or not, if they're working in the bars, they're working illegally - but they don't seem to mind the risk and the bars don't seem to mind the risk of letting them work.

Why do I think a certain something might be involved . . . ?