The State Railway of Thailand recently announced that the cross-border railway connecting Bangkok, Thailand (Aphiwa Central Station) and Vientiane, Laos (Khansawa Station) will soon be put into trial operation.

The newly opened Thai-Laos cross-border railway will not only improve the railway traffic between Thailand and Laos, but also connect the China-Laos railway, promoting trade, logistics and personnel exchanges between Thailand, Laos and China.

Japan's "Nikkei Asian Review" analyzed that although Thailand and China do not border each other, railway cooperation will achieve "seamless transportation" between the two countries. According to the forecast of the Thailand Kasikorn Research Center, this year, through the Thai-Laos cross-border railway and the fast channel of the China-Laos railway, Thailand's land exports to China will increase by 17% to nearly 250 billion baht, and this figure is expected to rise further in the future. The Thai-Laos cross-border railway is about to conduct operation tests on the Bangkok (Aphiwa Central Station)-Udon Thani-Nong Khai-Vientiane (Khansawa Station) route. Previously, Thailand and Laos completed the train operation test from Udon Thani, a northeastern city in Thailand, to Vientiane, Laos on May 21, 2024. The organic combination of the Thai-Laos cross-border railway and the China-Laos railway will play an important role in promoting connectivity among countries in the ASEAN region and enhancing economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.

After years of cooperation and advancement, China, Laos and Thailand have established a foundation for cross-border railway connectivity. In December 2021, the China-Laos Railway was fully connected. Over the past two years of operation, the passenger and freight transportation capacity of the China-Laos Railway has continued to rise, driving significant regional connectivity and common development effects.

At the same time, the China-Thailand Railway is also continuing to advance. The China-Thailand Railway is located in Thailand. It is a key project of the Belt and Road Initiative jointly built by China and Thailand and the first standard-gauge high-speed railway in Thailand.

The project officially broke ground in 2017 and was built in two phases. The first phase of the "Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima" section connects the Thai capital Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeastern Thailand. The second phase of the "Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai" section will extend to Nong Khai, Thailand, which is only separated by a river from the Lao capital Vientiane, to achieve connection with the China-Laos Railway. The trial operation of the Thai-Laos cross-border railway means that the railway connectivity among China, Laos and Thailand has made new progress.The "dense" cross-border railway network is backed by the vigorous economic and trade exchanges and personnel exchanges between China, Laos and Thailand. In the field of economy and trade, China is currently Thailand's largest trading partner, and Laos' largest exporter and second largest trading partner.

At the beginning of 2024, China and Thailand signed cooperation documents such as the Protocol on the Export of Agricultural Products to China by Thailand, and more Thai agricultural products will enter the Chinese market. In this context, reducing costs and improving efficiency are the realistic requirements of related trade. Compared with traditional sea, land and road-rail combined transport, the logistics cost of full railway transportation is lower and the transportation efficiency is higher, so it has become one of the main logistics forms of agricultural product trade between the three countries.

In terms of personnel exchanges. As of April 2024, the China-Laos Railway International Passenger Train has been in operation for one year, and has sent a total of 700,000 passengers, attracting more than 180,000 cross-border travelers from 87 countries and regions. In addition, from March 2024, the China-Thailand Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement will officially take effect, and the number of cross-border tourists from China and Thailand will continue to grow, and the demand for passenger travel will further heat up.The opening of the Thai-Laos cross-border railway will bring new benefits to countries in the region. In terms of freight, the Thai-Laos cross-border railway will help Thai products to be exported to China via the China-Laos Railway, provide more route options for Thai goods to enter Vientiane, Laos and be transferred to Kunming, China, improve the logistics situation between China, Laos and Thailand, further shorten the cargo transportation time between the three countries, reduce transportation costs, and enhance regional economic and trade exchanges.

In terms of passenger transportation, the Thai-Laos cross-border railway can be connected with the international passenger trains of the China-Laos Railway, connecting cities such as Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane, and implementing the "morning departure and evening arrival" of tourist destinations. The new line is expected to increase the popularity of cultural relics and natural scenic spots along the line, and promote the development of tourism resources and economic development along the line.

In the future, the China-Laos-Thailand cross-border railway connection will continue to advance towards the goal of full connection of high-speed rail lines. Among them, the construction of the China-Thailand Railway is the key.

Not long ago, the 31st meeting of the China-Thailand Railway Cooperation Joint Committee was held in Beijing. During the period, the two sides followed up on the progress of the first phase of the project, confirmed the plan for the second phase of the project, and discussed the project from Nong Khai, Thailand to Vientiane, Laos. The Thai side stated that the second phase of the China-Thailand Railway is expected to start in 2025 and be completed and opened to traffic in 2030. The continuous and steady progress of China-Thailand high-speed rail cooperation will further promote regional connectivity and promote breakthroughs in the construction of the Pan-Asian Railway. After the China-Thailand Railway and the China-Laos Railway are connected, it will promote the formation of a cross-border high-speed railway transportation network between China, Laos and Thailand, injecting strong impetus into the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the prosperity and development of the regional economy.

The interconnection of the China-Laos-Thailand cross-border high-speed railway transportation network can further serve the relevant ASEAN countries in the Belt and Road Initiative and the major cities of 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China, expand economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN, and inject new vitality into the construction of the China-ASEAN community of shared future.

At the same time, China-Laos-Thailand connectivity will also bring new opportunities for the construction of the new western land-sea channel and new cooperation possibilities for the full railway transportation route connecting China, Laos, Thailand to Malaysia and Singapore.Editor/Zhao E