Does anyone know of the/any planned stations in Laos, immediately north of Vientiane, or of any sources to find further information on the proposed route and intermediate train stations?

I am not sure this is what you are looking for.. Have a look. Good luck.

the-monk wrote: ↑

September 7, 2018, 10:14 pm

I am not sure this is what you are looking for.. Have a look. Good luck.

Monk, Was there meant to be a link in your post?

Sorry about that .... a station list is given in the middle of the page.
Here is the link..
https://www.nomadicnotes.com/laos-railways/
Hope it will help.
My apologies....

Thanks very much, the monk. Very helpful.

I'm not sure how they will get on if they are running local and express trains and in both directions, on a single track railway.

they plan on having passing sections where it will be dual-tracked to allow express passenger trains get around freight trains. The Chinese will be running it so perhaps it will be managed well. Last week the system is supposedly 40% complete so well within the time frame for a late 2021 opening..

Yes, I had noted they will have passing sections, but that sounds like adding complications, what with express trains and slower local trains travelling in both directions, as well as freight traffic. Hope the Chinese have good signalling/safety systems.

Agreed having dual tracks would have added to the costs substantially.

I am wondering will the coming of the rail line mean that some attractive dormitory towns will spring up, just north of Vientiane, for example.

bureaucratic holdups.. https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... ail-holdup

according to the Chinese One Belt One Road website 90% of the contracted bridges and tunnels for the China-Lao railway will be completed by the end of 2019.. Moving apace.. https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/qwyw/rdxw/79595.htm..

additional updated from 12 February. https://eng.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/qwyw/rdxw/79273.htm

Meanwhile, in Thailand? https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... rapping-up snore

Meanwhile in Burma,

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/go ... ridor.html

https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/myanmar ... -and-road/

that story on "wrapping up the talks" on the Sino-Thai high speed rail is a bit laughable. It is still talking about that first contract on the 3.5 kilometer first segement that was started a year ago.. It is down south of Korat.. You'd think they could have knocked out 3.5 km in about 2 weeks since on Google Earth it appears flat and nothing required but roadbed, ballast, sleepers and rails.

on the Burma articles, the Chinese are already extending rail lines southwest through their own territory towards the Burmese border. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dali%E2%8 ... li_railway

the Sittwe to Kunming oil/gas pipeline project was completed in 2014 providing an alternative to shipping oil/gas through the Malacca Straits a key objective of China's OBOR strategy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Myanmar_pipelines

here's the oil/gas terminus in Burma on the Bay of Bengal https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kyauk ... 93.5458489

I believe originally the Chinese wanted to build a road/rail system paralleling the pipeline but the Burmese played them on it and claimed they couldn't allow it due to ethnic groups protesting...

Yes, the Burmese know what the Chinese are up to, but it is difficult for a small nation to stand up to China.

oh those crafty Burmese generals knew what they were doing when they converted from their Junta to a transitional democracy.. The Chinese had them by the short and curlies when they were shunned by the western nations. When they "transitioned" and let ASSK and the NLD back into a political system the floodgates of western investment money flowed in.. That gave the Burmese the ability to play all sides and not be stuck only with the Chinese...

Oh, they are crafty alright and tough. They are certainly more difficult to deal with for the Chinese than many other nations. And, the people of Burma realise just how tough the Tatmadaw is. Burmese people like to read and they will tell you that Orwell wrote a triology about Burma: Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984.

the real deal or just bombast? My speculation was and is that the Thai government will not want to have the Lao-Chinese railway from Kunming to Vientiane with a railhead sitting across the Mekong waiting forlornly for the linkup with Thailand. The Lao railway is scheduled to be fully operational by December 2021. Will we see a flurry of activity starting soon on the Thai side???? . https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... in-4-years

of course the article does show that the first segment of the railway down in Khorat is moving forward at blazing speed:
Construction is under way on a 3.5km section from Klang Dong to Pang Asok in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district, under the first contract worth 425 million baht. The work began in December 2017 and is 45% done...

FrazeeDK wrote: ↑

March 6, 2019, 11:13 am

the real deal or just bombast? My speculation was and is that the Thai government will not want to have the Lao-Chinese railway from Kunming to Vientiane with a railhead sitting across the Mekong waiting forlornly for the linkup with Thailand. The Lao railway is scheduled to be fully operational by December 2021. Will we see a flurry of activity starting soon on the Thai side???? . https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... in-4-years

We're into the 3rd month of 2019 already. I'm very skeptical.

The stretch from Khorat to Nong Khai is a relatively easy stretch. Not too many bridges of note and no tunnels.. I would bet that with the appropirate motivation that stretch could be knocked out pretty easily.. The stretch from Khorat to Saraburi that goves down the edge of the Khorat Plateau would take longer I imagine... Anyway, note the article mentions another bridge across the Mekong to support the high speed rail.. If you see the Chinese starting to build that one you'll know things will happen quickly...