A 2,000-Mile Bangkok to Beijing Train Trip Gets Closer With Trial Run

(Bloomberg CityLab) Train travel between Bangkok and Beijing is inching closer as Thailand prepares to expand its rail network.

The Southeast Asian nation will run a trial service between Bangkok and Laos’ capital of Vientiane between July 13 and 14, according to the State Railway of Thailand. When up and running, the new link will improve transport between the two countries and China, Ekarat Sriarayanphong, an official at the railway agency, said in a statement.

The launch of the Thailand-Laos connection will mean it’s possible to travel by train from Bangkok to China’s capital via stops in Vientiane and the southern Chinese city of Kunming, where there is a separate semi-high speed service to Beijing.



The roughly 2,000-mile journey, though the area’s mountainous terrain adds to the distance, will take almost a full day. That compares with just short of five hours for a non-stop flight. ...............(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-12/a-2-000-mile-bangkok-to-beijing-train-trip-gets-closer-with-thai-expansion?srnd=homepage-americas