The ground-breaking ceremony. (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – Laos broke ground on a 6-billion-USD railway linking the country to China in the capital city of Vientiane on December 2.
The ceremony was attended by Party chief and President of Laos Choummaly Sayasone and Chairman of the National People’s Congress of China Zhang Dejiang.
The 1,435m gauge railway will allow passenger and cargo trains to run at maximum speeds of 160 and 120 kilometres per hour, respectively.
The route will run through 31 stations, 76 tunnels with a total length of 195.78km and 76 bridges.
It will take approximately four years and a half to get the construction completed.
The railway is part of the 3,000-km Kunming-Singapore railway, which runs through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia.
At the ceremony, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavad Lengsavath said the infrastructure will help Laos – a country without sea – become a regional connection, boosting future economic development.-VNA
