Laos gets rail boost from China
NEWS flow on the construction of the China-Laos railway is giving confidence that the mega infrastructure will be on track for completion in December next year, and Laos will reap vast economic benefits from the project.
Last month, the Laos-China Railway Company announced that the boring of the final tunnel of the 414km rail project had been completed. This signalled one of the most difficult civil works was overcome.
The Xiang Ngeun No. 3 Tunnel – about 210km north of capital city Vientiane, is the last of the 75 tunnels passing through some uninhabited mountainous terrains and scenic forests.
Before this, there were also announcements on the completion of the boring of the 9.3km Ban Nakok tunnel after over two years of drilling; and the successful boring of a 15.2km tunnel in China’s Yunnan Province.
In Laos, the planned high-speed train project with speed of 160km per hour will link Boten on the China/Laos border with Vientiane via 198km of tunnels and 62km of bridges.
HO WAH FOON
