A ride on the Laos-China railway

[reader]

From The Straits Times

 

[kjun12]

Going to China by this train is as expensive as any other way. Getting a visa is quite horrendous at present and the cost appears to be quite outrageous.  The consular fee is $140 and the service fee is $349.  I was shocked when I started to look into a visit to China.

It also appears that they are not even granting visas at present.

https://mychinavisa.com/china-visas/china-tourist-visa/

[vinapu]

but getting to Luang Prabang from Vientiane or other way around all of the sudden become cheaper than flying and much faster than bus

[kjun12]

10 hours ago, vinapu said:

but getting to Luang Prabang from Vientiane or other way around all of the sudden become cheaper than flying and much faster than bus

You are absolutely correct.  I just looked into going to China and I was very surprised in what I found.

[vinapu]

34 minutes ago, kjun12 said:

 I just looked into going to China and I was very surprised in what I found.

until they abandon that nonsensical zero covid policy it's better to stay away from China  unless you fancy to get stuck in quarantine for couple  weeks somewhere just because they find one case in city you happen to be

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

until they abandon that nonsensical zero covid policy it's better to stay away from China  unless you fancy to get stuck in quarantine for couple  weeks somewhere just because they find one case in city you happen to be

Tourists cannot get visas to enter China for now. So there is no option but to stay away. Only Hong Kong allows visitors but you need 3 days hotel quarantine plus 4 days medical observation. Boring for tourism!

[forrestreid]

If you have twitter, an guy who has a Youtube account and also tweets on travel did a series of tweets on his trip on the new railway, dated the 9th September.

Giving his views  on it, good and bad.

The account is called @nonstopeurotrip

 

 

[Lonnie]

Thanks forrestreid...he also has a railway guide for Thailand.

https://www.thaitrainguide.com/

[vinapu]

Train is there but getting tickets is a bit of chore as nonsense abounds

There, s ticket office in Luang Prabang on main drag about 500 m past night Market across the  street from Vietnamese consulate but thay take payments by Union Pay and some other Chinese pay system, no credit cards, no cash accepted. Original of passport requred to purchase. 

Ticket for cash can be bought at the station but only ( in computer era!!!) with 2 days advance I. E. or Thursday no earlier than Tuesday. Station is several kilometers  from the city. Travel agents will facilitate that for a fee of course but they need to line up there the same like masses. 

So whole thing looks like another exercise in population movement restrictions, great communist invention. But still benefit of getting to Van vieng or Vientiane in relatively speaking no time in comparison with buses is great ang judging by number of affluent Laotians crowding temples and restaurants in Luang Prabang they are taking an advantage of it. 

 

 

 

[fedssocr]

The YTers I've seen doing the trip on this train seem to be organizing tickets via an agent to iron out the difficulties. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, fedssocr said:

The YTers I've seen doing the trip on this train seem to be organizing tickets via an agent to iron out the difficulties. 

Thus is route I pursued too but it,s not changing a fact that getting a ticket in computer era is nonsensically difficult.

They have office in the city but you can,t go and buy  it unless you have UnionPay.

And this 2 days only advance purchase ? 

With computers everywhere ?

Agent will organize tickets but for a fee. For us it,s modest , in my case 68000 kip , roughly 4 usd . But I could easily save it just by walking in if I could.

Only hope is it will improve in the future.

If that is how future hight speeds will very operating in Thailand, God gave mercy on her and us.

[vinapu]

Train  on new bridge over Mekkong , taken earlier today, lucky occurence as I was on the boat to Pak Ou caves ( 1000 Buddhas )

[reader]

This CNN article mentions the difficulty in obtaining a ticket but I believe Vinapu does a more concise job in identifying the rationale behind it.

New semi-high-speed train makes Laos more accessible than ever

The new train travels between the station in Vientiane, pictured, and Boten, near the Chinese border. 

Phoonsab Thevongsa/Reuters

Continues with videos and photos

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-laos-semi-high-speed-train/index.html

[vinapu]

About to take the train.

Station is about 30 minutes drive from old city giving Luang Prabang distinction of having airport much closer ( 10 mins vs 30 )to the center than railway station.

Station is impressive but is not much more than just gigantic waiting room with toilets and water filing points. Ticket counters are outside , at the far end of building in the picture.

One can buy food and drinks outside in oarking lot  in numerous stalls so stack up there as there are no shops in building itself.

Security us airport like and I got confiscated almost empty can of AXE deodorant due to it being flammable.  Good for a plane but not for train it seems, at least here, who would think ?

on the platform ordinary train on it,s way from Vientiane to Boten ( border )

[vinapu]

It went smoothly although at times it felt like night train as so much of track is in tunnels so it was dark behind the window.

Vientiane station also far from the center  which considering is on flat plain is bit surprising.

Transport to the city very well organized, I took busfor 15000 to central bus station which is in vicinity of my hotel but shared taxis aplenty . Word of warning, go to toilet on the train as on arrival one's available were closed. Hopefully due to open very soon .

Mysteries of ticket sales  - agent was told no 1st class for today, I visited 1st class carriage and it was half empty.

Overall very positive experience, with ironed schedule either city may be day trip destination from the other.

All that checking and herding  is nuisance but we need to understand that for locals rail travel is unheard of experience until last year so thet need to be taught how to find a space and behave.

It was sad view to see a bit of trash thrown  on the floor here and there in otherwise spotless carriage.  Old habits are dying slow.

I will post few pictures soon.

[vinapu]

[vinapu]

[vinapu]

Last 2 pics, Vientiane station

[xpaulo]

On 8/27/2022 at 6:13 AM, vinapu said:

to Luang Prabang

That's a cool place, or it was about 15 years ago.

[vinapu]

7 minutes ago, xpaulo said:

That's a cool place, or it was about 15 years ago.

Still as cool as 9 years ago when I last visited and perhaps now with rail access even cooler. At one point possibly Chinese hordes may ruin that coolness with easy access now so go there everybody before they arrive. 

[pong2]

Great report, kowp jay-lay-lay. Sabay dee duay. It seems you have the choke-dee enough already

Train look 99,99% similar to those Chinese things they have in the 1000fold there-and China also organises its new hi-speed trains the way any airline does-incl. now also an hardly understandable way to get tix-if one does not have all those Chinese apps and payments on ones fone with Chinese nbr (and that was all pre-covid, so must now be even much more stringent). But FRance is also quite good at placing stops for its prestigious hi-speed TGV miles out of centre-town (MOntpellier, Amiens)_they call that ´sugarbeet stops. so these Laos may contemplate ´sugarcane´ stops (satanee OY)

(BTW_my very first trip to Laos-around 2000, was also on the wackety-rickety bus from VTE to Vang Vieng-that bekpek paradise.

For those really interested in these iron dragons on rails:

update-info, by mr Wisaruth, now in pension former high level employer of SRT=Thai railways: on skyscrapercity.com, forum on railways (there is also one for urban transit-for BKK´s skytrain ambitions). Also very recent info about imminent transfer out of HuaLamPong to new Apisith New Central @Bang Sue.

general touristy info on train travel around the world: seat61.com