The entire route will be 5,000km long and have three lines – east, central and west. It is expected to be completed by 2015. Its completion will result in major changes, mainly for cargo movements and in a more limited way for passengers and tourists.
Here’s what Asian Trails have to say about the impact of the railroad link on the tourism potential of the countries it passes through.
Laos: The country will get a big wake-up call once the railways operate with speed of 200+km through the sleepy jungles.
It is still a secret whether Luang Prabang will be near the train route. If it is there will be a major boost in local development, rising land costs and possibilities for new train based itineraries. Road R6 will go via Sam Nua and Xieng Khouang and will be good for touristic movements to the caves, the Plain of Jars and surrounding attractions. But the peace of the area will be gone!
Myanmar: There will be major developments in connection with the western train line. Additionally the Thavoy (Dawei) Deep Sea port, which is under construction by Ital-Thai will be connected with a new road to Bangkok.
Overland trips from Bangkok, Thailand to the Andaman coast in Myanmar will take less than one full day. Train-based itineraries may become very suitable, including cross-border trips to Yunnan. Southeast Myanmar (Golden Rock etc.) will see big developments with the railway going to Mae Sot.
Thailand: Since all three high-speed railway lines will pass via Bangkok the city will see big infrastructure changes, including a Chinese tax-free centre of enormous proportions on the Bang-na-Trat highway. Korat will become busy and Chiang Rai will be the key entrance for road traffic from China via Laos and Myanmar. As a result the importance of Chiang Mai will diminish.
Train itineraries from Bangkok via Vientiane to Luang Prabang, and even on to Kunming will be feasible. Train trips via Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh will also become doable.
Vietnam: Once the north-south high-speed trains operate part of the train portions could be built into tour itineraries. Overland trips to Laos and on to Thailand, also via Cambodia, will become more attractive. Some areas near Hanoi will become very commercialized with Chinese cargo traffic.
Cambodia: Train transport from Bangkok to Siem Reap, just a half-day trip, will pose serious competition to air traffic, presently monopolised by Bangkok Air. New itineraries using trains will become popular on Siem Reap-Phnom Penh- Saigon trips. New overland route from Siem Reap via Kratie to Quy Nhon/ Vietnam allows for new programmes and circle trips, for example Cambodia- Vietnam-Cambodia
Malaysia: North-south movements on high-speed trains and new roads will greatly boost cargo and passenger movements. Good for train-based itineraries up to Thailand, which will pose competition for the E&O Express, as the new link will be much faster and very much cheaper!
“While the Swiss authorities need five years to PLAN a new rail tunnel the Chinese actually plan, build and operate new railway lines in the same time – a really major development for our part of the world,” said Luzi Matzig, Asian Trails’ CEO.
