Laos-China railway will be powered up next month

ELECTRICITY will be installed in the Boten Tunnel to power railway operations between Laos’ northernmost town Boten on the Chinese border and the Vientiane Railway Station east of the capital, which will be used as a locomotive depot when the Laos-China railway becomes operational in December.

Power will be officially commissioned at 9am on September 18, according to the Socioeconomic Daily newspaper.

Project operators warn all concerned parties and people living alongside the railway to exercise caution and stay alert to possible danger, while also ensuring proper maintenance of the railway.

People are warned not to come within 2m of electricity transmission lines, climb electricity poles, or touch or approach objects such as cables or spare parts hanging on power lines and transmission lines along the railway, to minimise the risk of injury or death due to electric shock.

The government has approved December 2, which marks Lao National Day, as the date for the official opening of the Laos-China railway line.

The railway project operators will bring in locomotives, electric multiple unit (EMU) trains and other equipment to conduct the first trial run of the railway in October.

The railway connects Vientiane to the Chinese border through the provinces of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay and Luang Namtha and passes through 75 tunnels with a combined length of 197.83km. Construction of the $5.986 billion railway began in December 2016.