Thailand Expects High-Speed Train Lines To China To Start Operations By 2030

Illustration of the high-speed train in Thailand. (Wikimedia Commons/Wei Kakurai)

JAKARTA - Thai authorities expect high-speed rail lines 609 km (378 miles) that will connect with China via Laos to start operating by 2030, nearly a decade later than originally planned.

More than a third of constructions have been completed in segments connecting the capital Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima City, about 220 km away and the entire route to Nong Khai on the border with Laos will be ready by 2030, Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said last month.

The $6 billion rail line from the capital Laos Vientiane to Kunming City in southwest China will start operating in 2021, a joint venture whose 70 percent stake is owned by Beijing. The line will connect with Nong Khai in Thailand via Vientiane, about 25 km away.

"This is an opportunity for Thailand to connect with the global economy," Jirayu said, adding it would bring Thailand closer to its goal of becoming a logistics hub.

The announcement comes a year after China urged Thailand to accelerate the construction of the railway line.

Discussions on the railway line began nearly two decades ago. Thailand and China signed a construction agreement in 2017 with plans to start operating in 2021.

However, development was delayed due to disagreements on financing and design, as well as disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan is part of China's President Xi Jinping Belt and Road trade initiative, which includes plans for three routes that start with Kunming passing through Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Vietnam plans to build a 1,541 km (958 miles) high-speed rail line connecting its two largest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, costing more than 67 billion US dollars, with the target starting operations by 2035.

The country is also planning a 7.2 billion dollar train line from its border with Yunnan Province in China to Hanoi, the port city of Haiphong and Ha Long City.