Growing demand, mainly from local tourists, for a new high-speed rail line linking Laos’ capital Vientiane to the country’s northern border with China and from there to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province and transport hub, has officials hoping to revive domestic tourism in Laos. Industry.
Since opening on December 3, 2021, the 422-kilometre line has carried 144,610 passengers on 146 train units as of February 22. With a maximum of 2,804 daily passengers and an average occupancy rate of 68.76% by January 3, 2022, the operator Lao-China Railway Company said passenger demand between Vientiane and the ancient capital Luang Prabang is particularly growing at the moment.
Fares for three classes
The full fare from Vientiane to the northern border town of Boding (one way) is currently 238,000 kip ($21) for third class, 333,000 kip ($30) for second class and 529,000 kip ($46.50) for first class . Excursions from Vientiane to the tourist towns of Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang are 74,000 kip ($6.50), 103,000 kip ($9) and 164,000 kip ($14.50); and 140,000 kip ($12.30), 198,000 kip ($17.40) and 313,000 kip ($27.50), depending on the class.
In addition to the two existing high-speed trains, lower-speed trains will be deployed to accommodate the increasing number of passengers, the operator said. The companion trains will operate at 120 km/h – compared to the high-speed rail’s 160 km/h – carrying 1,664 passengers each. The launch time and number of carriages have not yet been determined.
permanent jobs for locals
The opening of the railway also brought a lot of employment opportunities. According to the Laos-China Railway Company, there are currently 1,206 regular employees, of which 675 are Lao citizens. Of the latter, 35 work at company headquarters, while another 640 work at stations and trains.
Additional local staff were also temporarily employed as maintenance staff to inspect and repair power and telecommunications lines along the railway.
Chinese employees of the Kunming Railway Bureau are currently working with Lao trainees to build capacity and train Lao personnel to take over these positions in the next three to four years.
In the five years since the construction of the Laos-China railway project, a total of 111,164 Lao nationals have been employed and 995 training sessions have been carried out.
Passengers at Luang Prabang Station of the China-Laos Railway (Photo: Xinhua News Agency) Growing demand, mainly from local tourists, for a new high-speed rail line linking Laos’ capital Vientiane to the country’s northern border with China and from there to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province and transport hub, has officials hoping to revive domestic tourism in Laos. Industry. Since opening on December 3, 2021, the 422-kilometer line has carried 144,610 passengers on 146 train units as of February 22. On January 3, 2022, the maximum daily number of passengers was 2,804,…
Growing demand, mainly from local tourists, for a new high-speed rail line linking Laos’ capital Vientiane to the country’s northern border with China and from there to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province and transport hub, has officials hoping to revive domestic tourism in Laos. Industry.
Since opening on December 3, 2021, the 422-kilometre line has carried 144,610 passengers on 146 train units as of February 22. With a maximum of 2,804 daily passengers and an average occupancy rate of 68.76% by January 3, 2022, the operator Lao-China Railway Company said passenger demand between Vientiane and the ancient capital Luang Prabang is particularly growing at the moment.
Fares for three classes
The full fare from Vientiane to the northern border town of Boding (one way) is currently 238,000 kip ($21) for third class, 333,000 kip ($30) for second class and 529,000 kip ($46.50) for first class . Excursions from Vientiane to the tourist towns of Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang are 74,000 kip ($6.50), 103,000 kip ($9) and 164,000 kip ($14.50); and 140,000 kip ($12.30), 198,000 kip ($17.40) and 313,000 kip ($27.50), depending on the class.
In addition to the two existing high-speed trains, lower-speed trains will be deployed to accommodate the increasing number of passengers, the operator said. The companion trains will operate at 120 km/h – compared to the high-speed rail’s 160 km/h – carrying 1,664 passengers each. The launch time and number of carriages have not yet been determined.
permanent jobs for locals
The opening of the railway also brought a lot of employment opportunities. According to the Laos-China Railway Company, there are currently 1,206 regular employees, of which 675 are Lao citizens. Of the latter, 35 work at company headquarters, while another 640 work at stations and trains.
Additional local staff were also temporarily employed as maintenance staff to inspect and repair power and telecommunications lines along the railway.
Chinese employees of the Kunming Railway Bureau are currently working with Lao trainees to build capacity and train Lao personnel to take over these positions in the next three to four years.
In the five years since the construction of the Laos-China railway project, a total of 111,164 Lao nationals have been employed and 995 training sessions have been carried out.
