Thailand says its $13bn high-speed railway to China through Laos will enter service in 2030, South China Morning Post reports.
A government spokesperson said the line would be “an opportunity for Thailand to connect to the global economy”, and help it become a regional logistics hub.
The announcement comes a year after China urged Thailand to make faster progress on the link.
When finished, the twin-track standard-gauge line will run for 609km between Bangkok and the town of Nong Khai on the Laotian border.
Trains will travel at 250km/h, making it Thailand’s first high-speed track.
From Nong Khai, trains will go through Laos to the Chinese network in Yunnan province. The line will operate Chinese Fuxing Series trains, which will be able to run on all three systems.
It’s being built in two sections, the first stretching 220km between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand’s third largest city. Work on this section is about one third complete.
The line is about nine years behind schedule. Delays have been down to extensive haggling with the Chinese and Laotians before work began, the Covid pandemic and land-acquisition difficulties.
China is designing the line, laying track and carrying out civil engineering projects such as tunnels and bridges. Thailand is retaining 100% ownership, and is supplying the land and the construction materials.
The companies involved are China Railway Construction and China Railways together with Italian-Thai Development.
The overall plan envisages three routes originating in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, passing through Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
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