Five Reasons to Ride the China-Thailand Railway

Nantapong Nuchanet, a -year-old Thai man, has been looking forward to driving a train that runs smoothly and quickly in his home country. As construction on the China-Thailand railway progresses, he feels as though he is getting closer to achieving his dream job.

Nantapong now works as a translator on the first-phase project of the China-Thailand railway that will link the Thai capital of Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeastern Thailand. “I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on such an important project,” he said. Nantapong considers himself lucky – he learned the Chinese language because of his interest in Chinese culture and technology, which won him a chance to study in China.

Nantapong graduated from the Technical and Vocational College in Tianjin, where he specialized in high-speed train operation and maintenance. After graduation in , he was hired to work on the China-Thailand railway project. “I used to take the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed train when I was studying in China,” Nantapong said. “It ran really fast and steady. I hope Thailand would also have the high-speed railway and I could drive such a train after the China-Thailand railway starts operation.” The China-Thailand railway is expected to link to China in the future, and Nantapong is looking forward to taking the train and traveling all over the country.

The China-Thailand railway, an important part of the trans-Asian railway network, will be Thailand’s first standard-gauge high-speed railway. When completed, the line will carry trains from Bangkok to the border town of Nong Khai, where a bridge will connect it with the China-Laos railway, making it possible to travel by train from Bangkok, through Laos, to Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan Province.

This railway project will not only inject vitality into the economic development of regions along the route, but also promote tourism and people-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand.

The opening of the China-Laos railway presents an opportunity for improved goods flow, economic and trade development, and industrialization between China, Laos, and Thailand. Viroj Lubkritcom, a Thai engineer, sees the railway as a way to connect the people of the three countries.

The China-Thailand railway project is set to boost people-to-people bonds through increased connectivity. Viroj, who has worked in project supervision for years and is now employed at the China Railway Design Corporation (Thailand Branch), has seen first-hand the benefits of this cooperation. “We’ve been working closely with our Chinese colleagues. By cooperating and communicating with them, we have gained a lot of experiences, both in terms of railway construction and project management,” he said. Viroj expected the project to serve as a bridge for closer personnel exchanges between Thailand and China.

Conclusion

The China-Laos railway is an important step in regional economic integration and will bring many benefits to the people of China, Laos, and Thailand. Viroj Lubkritcom, a Thai engineer, sees the railway as a way to connect the people of the three countries and believes that it will improve goods flow, economic and trade development, and industrialization between the three countries.