Laos, China celebrate milestone in railway construction progress
ALL of the 75 tunnels forming part of the Laos-China railway have now been bored, marking a major milestone in the construction of the US$5.9 billion mega-project.
Xiang Ngeun No 3 Tunnel, which is located in Luang Prabang province 210km north of Vientiane, is the last tunnel completed on the 422km railway, China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.
Project management committee head Chantoula Phanalasy told Vientiane Times that completion of the tunnels mean the hardest work had been done and the main challenges of the project had been removed.
“Tunnels are a major part of the Laos-China railway and their completion is an important milestone in the construction of the railway,” he said.
Authorities and companies held an event in Vientiane this week to celebrate this landmark.
From now on, the main task will be shifting from the large-scale civil engineering stage to the installation of rail track and station construction, as well as training the personnel needed to operate and manage the railway next year.
The railway, which links Vientiane to the Chinese border with a top operating speed of 160km/h, has 75 tunnels that run for 198km and bridges spanning a total length of 62km.
The railway crosses the Mekong River twice, passing through two 60km tropical forest mountain areas, with complex geology and a harsh construction environment such as steep terrain, turbulent rivers, broken rock formations, and frequent water and mud inrush in tunnels.
During the rainy season, over 70,000 cubic metres of silt and soft soil accumulated on the construction site, with the deepest part of the silt reaching three metres. As well as excavating the silt, Chinese engineers also needed to build trenches, cable troughs and escalators on the site, according to Xinhua.
The Laos-China Railway Co Ltd was quoted in Xinhua as saying that all participating engineering firms from China and Laos have overcome difficulties in organising construction resources and the supply of materials and equipment.
The Covid-19 pandemic affected the drilling of tunnels but the governments of Laos and China worked together to facilitate this work.
In September, Chinese engineering companies finished drilling the Ban Phoukeu Tunnel in Muang Nga,
Oudomxay province, and the 9.59km “friendship tunnel” across the border between Laos and China.
Track has been la id on 148k m, comprising one third of the railway, a nd t he roof has been la id on t he f irst station in Nateuy. Meanwhile roof tops a re being bui lt at Phonhong and Kasy stations.
Chinese firms have laid track through Vangvieng station, which is one of the four main stations.
Construction of the railway began in 2016 and as of August 31 was 91.11 per cent complete. The whole project is scheduled to be completed and open to traffic in December next year.