The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans to extend its Bangkok-Nong Khai train service to Vientiane this April.
Trial operations are scheduled to start next month, beginning from the Thanaleng station located just across the Laos border, and extending to the newly built Khamsavath station in Vientiane. This marks the beginning of the service’s extension in April.
Pichet Kunadhamraks, the Director-General of the Department of Rail Transport, shared this information, noting that the SRT currently operates trains from Nong Khai station in the northeast to Thanaleng.
The new 7.5-kilometer segment from Thanaleng to Khamsavath is the final phase of this extension.
The journey between Nong Khai and Khamsavath stations, spanning a distance of 13 kilometers, is expected to cost around 60 or 70 baht and take about 20 minutes.
Thai and Laotian officials are collaboratively refining the immigration procedures for this extended train service.
They aim to streamline the process, allowing passengers to undergo document checks just once, either at Nong Khai or Vientiane, for added convenience.
To meet legal requirements, Lao train drivers will take over the SRT trains destined for Vientiane at Nong Khai station.
This step is to prevent legal issues for Thai drivers in Laos in the event of accidents. The SRT has specifically trained nine Lao drivers for this role.
With the launch of the extended service, the train route from Bangkok to Nong Khai, departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, will be officially renamed the Bangkok-Vientiane (Khamsavath) service.
