Vientiane railway station
Vientiane Railway Station ສະຖານີ ນະຄອນຫລວງວຽງຈັນ | |||||||||||
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| File:Vientiane Railway Station facade.jpg | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Don Noun, Xaythany district Vientiane Prefecture Laos | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 18°2′46″N 102°41′26″E / 18.04611°N 102.69056°ECoordinates: 18°2′46″N 102°41′26″E / 18.04611°N 102.69056°E | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Laos–China Railway Company Limited | ||||||||||
| Operated by | China Railway Kunming Group | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Boten–Vientiane railway | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 5 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Architect | China Railway Construction | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 3 December 2021 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Vientiane railway station (Lao: ສະຖານີ ນະຄອນຫລວງວຽງຈັນ, Chinese: 万象站) is a railway station in Vientiane, Laos. It is the 2nd station on the Boten–Vientiane railway.[1] The largest and most important station on the line,[2] the station was opened along with the rest of the line on 3 December 2021.[3]
Design[edit]
Located 14 km north of central Vientiane,[4] the station building sits on 14,543 square metres (156,540 sq ft) of land and has three platforms and five tracks as well as a station hall that can accommodate 2,500 passengers.[2]
The station's theme is the City of Sandalwood, reflecting the original meaning of "Vientiane". The building is based on traditional Chinese architecture combined with Laotian environmental characteristics. The facade features eight tree-branch-shaped eaves, meant to evoke a tropical rainforest.[5]
Services[edit]
As of October 2022, the station has three services per day: two via Luang Prabang to Boten at the Chinese border, and one to Luang Prabang only.[6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, there are no cross-border passenger services yet.[6]
Future expansion[edit]
All tracks at the station are standard gauge, so the station does not serve the existing narrow-gauge railway from Thailand to Laos, which terminates at Thanaleng railway station, some 15 km to the south. The standard gauge Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway, scheduled for completion in 2028, may eventually extend to Vientiane station, completing the Kunming–Singapore railway.[7]
In 2022, the Vientiane Times announced that Laos intends to build a new standard-gauge railway from Vientiane to the port of Vung Ang in central Vietnam.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ 网易 (18 December 2019). "中老铁路-新建铁路磨丁至万象线四电工程施工总价承包中标结果". www.163.com. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Lao capital station of China-Laos Railway makes debut". www.xinhuanet.com.
- ^ Reuters (3 December 2021). "China and Laos open $6 billion high-speed rail link". Reuters. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ "How to travel by train, bus & boat to & within Laos | Bangkok-Vientiane by train". www.seat61.com.
- ^ "Completed Vientiane station on track for Laos-China Railway opening". The Star.
- ^ a b "Laos Express Train | Laos-China Railway | Laos Travel". laostravel.com.
- ^ "Bangkok–Nong Khai High-Speed Railway". Future Southeast Asia. 23 November 2020.
- ^ "Laos' logistics vision for ASEAN: All rails lead to Vientiane". Nikkei Asia.