In 2026, the cross-border train of China Laos Railway will pass Vientiane Station smoothly. In the carriage full of tropical fruits in Southeast Asia and Chinese mechanical and electrical products, a new Thai railway plan is making the extension of this steel silk road clearer. The bidding for the second phase of the Thailand China high-speed railway is about to begin, and the key puzzle of the last section of the Pan Asian Railway Central Line is accelerating on the land of Southeast Asia.

The bidding for the extension section of the Taizhong high-speed railway is about to start

The Thai government has officially announced its plan to launch the bidding for the second phase of the Thailand China high-speed railway project in December of that year, covering 8 civil engineering contracts for the 357.12 kilometer section from Nakhon Ratchasima to Langkawi. The project is expected to start construction in 2027 and be fully completed in 2031, by which time Thailand's high-speed rail will achieve full connectivity from Bangkok to Langkawi.

At present, the construction progress of the first phase of the Thailand China high-speed railway from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima has reached 55.27%, and it is expected to be put into operation first in 2030. The entire Pan Asian Railway corridor is 3900 kilometers long, stretching from Kunming, China in the north to Singapore in the south, connecting Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia. It is the core artery of cross-border transportation in Southeast Asia.

Cross border channels open up new avenues for interconnectivity

Both Thailand and Laos plan to build a dedicated railway bridge next to the First Friendship Bridge to overcome the existing bottleneck of mixed traffic between public and railway. Xinqiao adopts double gauge design. Standard gauge line can realize seamless connection between Thailand China high-speed railway and China Laos railway, and meter gauge line can connect the existing railway network in Thailand and the old Thailand operating railway.

The operation results of the China Laos railway opened to traffic in 2021 will be remarkable. The freight volume will reach 12.47 million tons in 2022, and 24.48 million tons in 2025, nearly doubling. In the first half of 2026, the number of cross-border passengers exceeded 400000, and the cross-border freight volume exceeded 600000 tons, accumulating sufficient practical experience for the construction of cross-border railways in Southeast Asia. Keywords: the Belt and Road, Thailand Railway

The extension of the Langkai high-speed railway and the cross-border new bridge will be put into use, and the China Laos Thailand Three Kingdoms Railway will achieve direct connection throughout the entire journey. This steel channel connecting the industries and markets of the three countries will continue to reduce cross-border logistics costs, drive the upgrading of trade and cultural and tourism industries along the line, and inject continuous and lasting impetus into the regional economic integration of Southeast Asia under the the Belt and Road framework.Editor/Cheng Liting