Laos-China Railway: Travelling over 1,000 kilometres by train from Vientiane to Kunming
The launch of the Laos-China Railway in 2021 has sparked new interest in rail travel among ASEAN member countries. It has also helped to boost tourism significantly in Southeast Asia. From Thailand to Laos and across the border to China, CNA's Melissa Goh travels more than 1,000 kilometres by rail.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Thousands evacuated as typhoon nears Hainan
BEIJING: Chinese authorities on the southern island of Hainan have evacuated thousands of people, closed schools and halted rail services ahead of the expected landfall of Typhoon Wutip later on Friday (Jun 13), state media said. More than 16,000 people have been moved from "construction sites, low-lying flood-prone areas and regions at risk of flash floods", Xinhua news agency said, while over 40,000 working on boats had been moved ashore. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed palm trees in Hainan waving violently in the wind, while other trees had toppled onto deserted roads as workers raced to clear the debris amid pouring rain. Other images published by CCTV showed China National Offshore Oil Corporation workers with backpacks and other luggage leaving a ship and waiting at the port to board buses. Wutip is expected to bring torrential rain exceeding 100mm across six cities and counties, as well as winds of up to 101 kmh, Xinhua said. Hainan has stopped high-speed rail services, and its southernmost city of Sanya closed schools and tourist sites, as well as suspended all flights at its airport. Wutip, the first typhoon to make landfall in the country this year, formed over the South China Sea on Wednesday, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said. It may make landfall again along the coast from western Guangdong to Guangxi on Saturday, maintaining "severe tropical storm intensity" before turning northeastward and gradually weakening, the CMA said. Guangdong raised its emergency response level on Friday morning, preparing rescue vessels and more than 30 tugboats for potential emergencies, Xinhua said. More than 49,000 fishing boats in the province have returned to ports, with 10,000 of their crew members coming ashore, it said. China has endured spates of extreme weather events from searing heat and drought to downpours and floods for several summers running. The country is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter but also a renewable energy powerhouse, seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2060. Torrential rains last August triggered by Typhoon Gaemi, which moved from the Philippines and Taiwan to make landfall in eastern China, killed at least 30 people and left dozens missing.
CNA
11 hours ago
- CNA
ASEAN eyes rail connectivity to boost regional trade amid global tensions
KUALA LUMPUR: As global trade faces challenges from tariffs amid renewed rivalry, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is turning its attention inward to strengthen regional connectivity. Experts said expanding intra-ASEAN trade hinges on improving rail links, with collaboration among member states key to unlocking the success of the ASEAN Rail Corridor that was launched last year. A seamless and reliable regional rail freight service is seen as vital to boosting the bloc's total trade volume, which is projected to reach US$4.5 trillion by 2030. LAOS-CHINA RAILWAY For example, the Laos-China Railway – which links Vientiane to Kunming – was officially launched in December 2021. Built at a cost of almost US$6 billion, it is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. The Laos section spans over 400km, while the China stretch to Kunming spans almost 600km. Rail experts said that this may usher in a new era in rail travel for ASEAN. "(It could be) a high-speed train that you could take … from Beijing all the way down through to Vientiane, all the way down to Bangkok, all the way down to Kuala Lumpur, and possibly divert through an undersea tunnel to Jakarta. I think it's not impossible to imagine that at all,' said Suhaimi Yaacob, chief corporate officer of Malaysian railway company KTMB. Laos, the only land-locked country in ASEAN, has already benefited significantly since the railway began operations. Last year, tourist arrivals in the country increased more than 30 per cent to 4 million. The Thanaleng Dry Port, which was the first international inland port in Laos, began operations in tandem with the railway launch. Since then, it has handled more than 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) – a general unit of cargo capacity that represents the space occupied by a standard 20-foot shipping container. Last year, the volume of TEUs it handled grew by 30 per cent from 2023. Shipments passing through Thanaleng are bound not only for China but also markets in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. A notable technical challenge at the port is the difference in rail gauges between Laos and Thailand. Laos' rail system, built by China, uses a standard gauge, while Thailand and Malaysia use a metre gauge. This means cargo arriving at Thanaleng must be transferred to another train continue its journey. On average, it takes about two to three minutes to move a single container box. In rail transport, track gauge refers to the distance between the two rails of a railway track. Several different track gauges exist worldwide, presenting a barrier to wider seamless operation on rail networks. Nevertheless, Thanaleng Dry Port's managing director Sakhone Philangam told CNA the gauge change is manageable. "This location is ideal for consolidation (of goods). For example, you cannot (always) match the timing, (if) there is a delay in connection, we can always store your container here safely," he said. In April, the dry port signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia's soon-to-be-operational Perlis Inland Port, located at the Thai-Malaysian border. Malaysia is investing over US$90 million in the facility, which is expected to handle up to 300,000 container boxes annually when it is ready in mid-2026. ASEAN RAIL EXPRESS STALLS But Malaysia, the chair of ASEAN this year, is facing significant obstacles in facilitating smooth rail trade. Disparate standards in cross-border customs clearance led to the double handling of cargo on the ASEAN Rail Express – a cargo rail service launched mid last year that aims to connect Malaysia to the Chinese city of Kunming via Thailand and Laos. The need to change train gauges mid-route also added to delays and confusion. As a result, the ASEAN Rail Express failed to take off – the service was suspended barely a few months after its launch. 'If you need to physically check the cargoes in each border, that will slow down the process,' noted Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke. In May, Loke met with his Thai counterpart in Bangkok to form a joint ministerial committee tasked with improving trade facilitation for goods in transit. The cooperation plan includes technical collaboration and joint procurement of trains to achieve better value. The Thai authorities have also pledged to ease legal obstacles and streamline procedures at customs. 'Every country wants to protect itself from competition but we must look at the bigger picture when we are facing this kind of geopolitical tension right now,' said Loke. 'Among member states of ASEAN we have to break down barriers, we have to cooperate and corroborate among each other more so that we can grow together. ASEAN cannot look at each other as a threat. We have to look at each other as partners.' Industry players told CNA they are looking forward to the resumption of the ASEAN Rail Express, which could reduce travel time by up to 40 per cent compared with sea shipping. 'It's probably the cheapest way for us to export our products to either Thailand, Malaysia or maybe Singapore,' said Stanley Yu, deputy CEO of Shanghai Guohui Green Technology. Watcharaporn Phootong, CEO of Kuala Lumpur-based food and beverage exporter Andamex, said: 'I prefer to use train – save more time, save more cost, and reduce the damage that may be incurred. Even though I have to pay a bit more, it's a good trade off.'
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
Air India flight makes emergency landing in Thailand after bomb threat: Phuket airport
BANGKOK: An Air India flight from the Thai island of Phuket headed to Delhi requested an emergency landing on Friday (Jun 13) after a bomb threat was received on board, Phuket's airport said. Flight AI 379 had landed and the airport was proceeding with emergency plans, an official told Reuters.
