Lao Railway Progress

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FrazeeDK
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » January 3, 2021, 7:33 pm

The Lao railway project is Standard Gauge as are the great majority of rail lines within China..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-gauge_railway

The Thais have signed five contracts for the High Speed Rail segments between Bangkok and Khorat. [url]https://www.nationthailand.com/news/303 ... asima.[url] Construction is occurring near Pak Chong south of Khorat in the hills.

If you search on You Tube for SRT dual track project you'll be able to find a video showing SRT's completed dual tracking from Khorat to KK. You'll note that space in the right of way and under bridges/overpasses has been left for additional track. I'll go out on a limb and speculate that is for the High Speed Rail...


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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » January 16, 2021, 11:15 am

while talking with an Aussie neighbor last night he related a farang friend of his living with his extended Thai family between Udon and Nong Khai was notified by the Thai government that their land, about 150 meters west of the current rail line would be condemned (with compensation) to provide Right of Way for the new High Speed Rail. Anybody heard anything about such land condemnation notifications, surveying or any preparation for the High Speed Rail?? I know there was a public notice information meeting downtown in early December open to the public but the videos I saw for that basically gave a time line and a lot of conceptual photos.. I imagine there could possibly be confusion between the planned High Speed Rail and the ongoing State Railway of Thailand dual-tracking project which should be due for initiation for the KK to Nong Khai segment...
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by arjay » March 3, 2021, 7:12 pm

Does anyone know where the new railway stations will be in Vientiane and just outside of (north side of ) Vientiane?

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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by Whistler » March 3, 2021, 9:04 pm

Rale Stele int Gund is being laid down as we speak
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » March 4, 2021, 9:42 am

two projects ongoing. 1. is the Lao-China rail project. The main Vientiane station is under construction now. I am not quite sure where it is since the Google Sat photo map is not up to date. But, I think it is here:
https://www.google.co.th/maps/@18.04563 ... !1e3?hl=en

here's an article from late last year: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-1 ... 529239.htm

here's another with a video embedded: https://today.line.me/hk/v2/article/Chi ... ing-LyOzK2

If Google maps sat was up to date you'd surely see it as it is quite large..


2. the 2nd project is an extension of the 1 meter rail that already crosses the Mekong on the Friendship Bridge to Thanalang Station. It will extend to the north side of Vientiane. A logistics (container yard) and end station are being built for that now. As near as I can determine the station is being built here: https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.95515 ... !1e3?hl=en

here's a recent video of the 1 meter track construction taking place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv1rrZH6hfE
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by tamada » March 4, 2021, 10:27 am

Google Earth imagery has been updated to last January. It shows the possible site of a station that FrazeeDK referenced from Google Maps but it also shows the track preparations continuing onwards and curving around to the south. There's a possible site for the station or terminus adjacent to the existing Dongphosy station, about 3 km north of the Mekong.
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lao_line1.jpg
Don Noun
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lao_line2.jpg
Dongphosy

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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » March 4, 2021, 2:47 pm

the Chinese and Lao swear the Lao-China Standard Gauge Railway will be fully complete and operational by 5 December. Next step will be proposing to build a railway bridge across the Mekong. I'm thinking the Chinese will spring to pay for such a bridge and kindly offer to make it large enough for the SGR and the Thai one meter track.. The Chinese want the rail connectivity down through Thailand to the Mapthaput port immediately west of Rayong. Logistics connectivity as part of the One Belt, One Road project is paramount. Add to that connectivity to take advantage of Udon's 2000 rai plus Industrial Park Economic Zone just east of Non Soong and the potentially rich potash deposits lying 300-500 meters under that area..
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » June 18, 2021, 7:35 pm

well, next step a bridge across the Mekong as in the previous post. The Thai, Lao and Chinese have signed an agreement on it. https://www.greatermekong.org/railway-b ... -vientiane
"He said the bridge is expected to be ready by 2023 " Hmm.. falls in line with my theory that the Chinese having the railway completed to the water's edge on the north side will push like Hell to get a bridge up and push to begin construction north to south. Udon might see the dual track/High speed rail sooner than we thought!
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » June 18, 2021, 7:36 pm

a more in-depth article from late April: https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/fro ... s-forward/
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by anefarious1 » June 18, 2021, 8:44 pm

FrazeeDK wrote:
June 18, 2021, 7:35 pm
well, next step a bridge across the Mekong as in the previous post. The Thai, Lao and Chinese have signed an agreement on it. https://www.greatermekong.org/railway-b ... -vientiane
"He said the bridge is expected to be ready by 2023 " Hmm.. falls in line with my theory that the Chinese having the railway completed to the water's edge on the north side will push like Hell to get a bridge up and push to begin construction north to south. Udon might see the dual track/High speed rail sooner than we thought!
Great info FrazeeDK. Do you have any idea if Udon's dual track will be East or West of ring road? Thanks

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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by papafarang » June 18, 2021, 8:50 pm

How many tunnels and bridges are they building in Laos ?
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » June 19, 2021, 12:53 pm

an earlier comment on the dual track/high speed surveying indicated they're coming down the existing rail right of way from Nong Khai. Looking at it on Google Maps it looks like there is ample room for it. The proposed Udon Thani "new" station will be similar to the one in Khon Khaen with an elevated track system coming through the center of the city carrying both the dual track 1 meter SRT tracks and the 1.435 meter High Speed Rail. I would speculate the elevated system will start north of the city and descend back to grade level south of the city. Supposedly the High speed will also be dual tracked for its entire span from Nong Khai to Bangkok.
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » June 19, 2021, 12:56 pm

Papa Farang, 75 tunnels and 167 bridges or viaducts including two crossing the Mekong near Luang Prabang.. All now completed. I believe the track laying is almost done with the final segment being laid in far northern Laos near Boten.
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by the-monk » June 19, 2021, 1:05 pm

Good day, I agree with Frazee that the railway will run in the land corridor presently used . It would be crazy, fooling, super expensive and delay prone to try to bypass the downtown area, simply use the KK approach.. Few years ago i asked the station manger at Nong Kong Kwan station how much land the railway had along the tracks. He said 20 m from the land occupied by the tracks, from the outmost track on both sides which mean about 40 m in addition to the present land they used.
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by fdimike » June 19, 2021, 4:07 pm

Impressive. The improvements to the Thai RR should have happened ages ago.
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by joepai » June 23, 2021, 3:59 pm

And how is Thailand's effort progressing ?

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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by papafarang » June 24, 2021, 6:01 am

Watched a very interesting doc about Boten in the most northern town in Laos where the train meets China. I did read about Botan years ago, it was a casino town that died after the Chinese asked Laos to to close the casino's. But since then the track has started coming through its becomming a boom town again .it was interesting to note the lao people talk about how much Chinese influence there is. Also noted was how the lao people viewed it , they understood without Chinese help boten would just be a jungle , they also enjoyed the fact that Chinese employers pay much better. Development even under the Chinese is better than no development at all. Interesting to note that there will be 32 stations on its way through Laos so plenty of chance for future development, its not just passing through laos.
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by the-monk » June 24, 2021, 8:28 am

Good day. Would you have a link to your doc ?
Thanks.
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » June 24, 2021, 9:18 am

Boten was essentially given up to the Chinese by the Lao Government as a "Special Economic Zone". Yes, the casino, brothels, and bars eventually died when the Chinese government for some reason decided it wasn't a good thing. That was back before 2010. It laid fallow, not quite abandoned and now is undergoing a rebirth. I'd say it isn't just the rai line but the fact that the Chinese have built a four lane expressway down tothe Lao border also. That will allow Chinese gambling tourists to easily get there..
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Re: Lao Railway Progress

Post by FrazeeDK » June 24, 2021, 9:20 am

On the railway,,, Watched a Lao video the other day that stated the rails are laid all the way up to the border now. The video showed a huge locmotive on the tracks way up north.. It wasn't one of the medium size green painted locos that were transported by special movers from Laem Chabang port to Laos last year.. That leads me to believe the Chinese have their rails seciont from Kunming completed up in China also allowing them to move these monster down onto the Lao portion of the system.
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