Train travel between Bangkok and Beijing is getting closer as Thailand prepares to expand its rail network.
According to the National Railway of Thailand, the Southeast Asian country will launch a trial service between Bangkok and the Laotian capital, Vientiane, on July 13-14. Once operational, the brand new connection will improve transport between the 2 countries and China, Ekarat Sriarayanphong, an official on the railway agency, said in a press release.
The launch of the Thailand-Laos service will enable train travel from Bangkok to the Chinese capital with stops in Vientiane and the southern Chinese city of Kunming, from where there’s a separate medium-speed service to Beijing.
The roughly 3,218 km (2,000 mi) journey will take almost a full day, although the mountainous terrain of the realm adds to the gap. For comparison, a non-stop flight takes just five hours.
According to a Nikkei report, there’s already a high-speed train running between China and Laos, which allows Thai goods to be transported by rail to Kunming. This helped reduce delivery times to China to fifteen hours from the 2 days it takes for trucks to move cargo over the mountain route, he says.
Thailand is keen to enhance its connections with China, its primary trading partner, to spice up economic growth that has lagged behind other countries within the region.
The Southeast Asian country’s exports to China in the primary 11 months of last 12 months totaled almost $32 billion, including top produce including fruit and rubber products, in accordance with government data. Imports from China throughout the same period were valued at $65.3 billion, with the primary sectors being electrical equipment and machinery.
In addition to trade, the 2 nations are also strengthening tourism ties. Tourists from China can stay in Thailand for as much as 60 days, while tourists from Thailand can stay in China for as much as 30 days.
The tourism sector is ready to get an extra boost from a separate, albeit much-delayed, project that can see a high-speed rail system link Thailand to China via Laos by 2028.
