Construction of Laos-China railway kicks off
Construction of the Laos-China railway to link Vientiane with the Chinese border will finally get underway following an official ceremony held in Luang Prabang province on December 25. In his remarks at the ceremony, Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong said actual work is set to start in the coming days one year after an official groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on December 2 last year. Six Chinese contractors will carry out construction in six segments along the 417km railway, which will be built at a cost of US$5.8 billion. It will take five years to complete the single-track railway, meaning the mega project will be fully complete by the end of 2021, Dr Bounchanh told ceremony participants. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Advisor of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s Central Committee Somsavat Lengsavad, Chinese Ambassador to Laos Guan Huabing and other officials from both sides also attended the ceremony.
