Thailand – Laos train service goes on test run

Illustrative image (Photo: The Bangkok Post)

Vientiane (VNA) - The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and related operators have recently tested the new dual-track rail service from Rayong province’s Map Ta Phut station to Tha Na Laeng station in Laos.

This train will halve the two to three days it takes to get to Laos by road and significantly reduce the time it takes to get there by sea, the English-language Nation newspaper quoted Panya Paputsaro, managing director of Kaocharoen Train Transport, as saying.
 
Trains also help reduce emissions, cut down on road accidents as well as contain the spread of COVID-19, he added.

Panya said the next step will be to offer special tourism packages from Rayong to Laos and China, adding that this will not only boost Rayong’s economy but will also help Thailand become an economic hub in Southeast Asia./.