On Dec. 2, 2015, the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the China-Laos railway project was held in Vientiane, Laos. Zhang Dejiang, visiting chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, and Lao President Choummaly Sayasone attend the ceremony. CRRC president Xi Guohua also presents this event.
There are a lot of models of high-speed train and rolling stock in the hall. They are all made by CRRC. The guests are very interested in these CRRC products and like to take photo with them.
The Lao section of the China-Laos railway is expected to begin construction in early December, which will be the first modern railway for the Southeast Asian country when completed by 2020
The line will start in border city Boten and travel past Luang Namtha, Luwang Prabang and Vang Vieng before arriving in capital Vientiane, with average speed set at 160 km/h.
China and Laos signed an agreement on Nov 13, planning to use Chinese technology and equipment to build a 418-km line that will connect Kunming, capital of southwestern China's Yunnan province, with Vientiane.
The cross-border railway's average speed is set at 160 km/h and 60 percent of the line will be bridges and tunnels. China will be responsible for 70 percent of the 40-billion-yuan ($6.27 billion) investment, while Laos will be responsible for the remainder.
