Passenger wagon boost to meet high demand on Thai-Laos link

More than 13,000 passengers have used the cross-border service of the Bangkok-Vientiane rail route since it opened on July 19, prompting the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to put on another passenger wagon to serve demand.
SRT governor Veeris Ammarapala said on Sunday he had met Daochinda Siharat, governor of the Lao National Railway State Enterprise, after signing a technical implementation memorandum for freight transport on Friday.
The aim was to expand the capacity of cross-border transport and serve more passengers.
Mr Veeris said both parties have jointly managed international freight trains to reach the target of 14 round trips per day and are considering increasing that number.
To meet the demand from passengers, SRT will add another air-conditioned car with sleeping beds. More than 13,000 travellers have used the service since it opened in July 2024, he said.
SRT will provide decommissioned carriages to Lao Railway. They will be renovated and used to take goods between Thanaleng Station in the Hadxayfong district of Vientiane and Nong Khai Station in Thailand.
“This is an important step in fostering ties between the nations, which will help support the development of rail transport in the Asean region and enhance the network’s potential to establish Thailand as the region’s rail transport hub,” he said.
The cross-border train service departs from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station at 9.25pm and arrives at Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station in Laos at 9.05am daily.
SRT also provides a service from Udon Thani to Vientiane and another route for those already in the border province of Nong Khai to connect to Vientiane, which is roughly 19 kilometres distant.
The Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station is about 16km from Vientiane Train Station where passengers can board the high-speed China-Laos railway to travel to other provinces in Laos or to China.