Laos’ PM to launch railway construction in Luang Prabang

A ceremony to kick off the railway construction will take place in Luang Prabang district's Phonxay village where a railway bridge spanning the Mekong River will be built.
 Director of the provincial Public Works and Transport Department Fasanan Thammavong, told the press on Wednesday that the PM has agreed to officially launch construction on December 25.
Last week, Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong, discussed the matter with relevant officials in the province.
The bridge will be part of the planned 427 kilometres Laos-China railway running from the Chinese border to Vientiane and through the four provinces of Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang, and Vientiane.
The railway through Luang Prabang province covers a length of 80 kilometres taking in the three districts of Chomphet, Luang Prabang and Xiengngeun.
The Laos-China Railway Project is estimated to cost about US$6 billion (Bt214 billion) and will run from the border area of Boten in Luang Namtha province to Vientiane. It is scheduled for completion in 2021 and is 70 per cent owned by China and 30 per cent by Laos.
A railway will also be built to connect Khammuan province's Thakhaek district to the Vietnamese border, from where it will run to a coastal port in Vietnam. 
Another track will be built from Thakhaek to the Cambodian border.
The Laos-China railway will have a 1.435 metres standard-gauge track with 33 stations, 21 of which will be operational initially.
There will be 72 tunnels with a combined length of 183.9 km, representing 43 per cent of the railway's entire length.
The line will also have 170 bridges totalling 69.2 km in length, accounting for 15.8 per cent of the total. Passenger trains will travel at 160 km per hour, while the speed of rail freight will be 120 km per hour.