Guide to the Railways of Laos

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) wasn’t really well known for it’s railway network until recently with the opening of the standard gauge Boten-Vientiane railway on 3rd December 2021. Up until then, they only had a cross-border metre-gauge railway that linked Thanaleng Station and Nong Khai Station via the Friendship Bridge. This was opened on 5th March 2009. Unfortunately Thanaleng Station is 20 kilometres east of Vientiane. But they are building a metre-gauge station nearer to the capital.