The Government of Thailand, Laos and China are exploring the feasibility of building a railway bridge to facilitate the cross-border transport of cargo between the countries. The proposed rail bridge will feature two different rail gauges, a metre-gauge (1,000 mm) as well as a standard gauge (1,435 mm)
Currently, there is no direct rail link between the China-Laos high-speed rail (HSR) line and Thailand’s rail network due to the separate rail gauges. Cargo trains from Thailand have to be unloaded in Nong Khai and transferred onto container trucks to Vientiane, Laos. The cargo is then finally loaded onto the HSR trains on-route to China.
Movement of cargo between Thailand and China has increased after the inauguration of the China-Laos HSR service, reducing time from about three weeks to roughly three days. Once the proposed rail bridge is opened, this time is expected to be further reduced.