The 323-kilometre rail line will have 26 stations and cut through four tunnels along the way. It will be a dual-track rail, and construction is due to start the next year with the launch of the project scheduled for 2022. The rail line will start in Denchai district of Phrae province and head north to Ngao district, Lampang, before reaching Chiang Rai and eventually coming to its terminus at Chiang Khong, also in Chiang Rai province, some 100 km east of Chiang Rai and on the border with Laos.
Currently the northern railway line continues northwest after Denchai to terminate in Chiang Mai. Thus destinations in Chiang Rai province are not yet connected to the main railway line.
The new railway line will make it possible to travel directly between Bangkok and Chinag Rai as well as the northern parts of Laos. Currently one can only reach Houay Xay in the northern Lao province of Bokeo by road travelling by bus or car via the fourth Friendship bridge. The new railway line will provide a decent alternative.
To Chiang Rai by Train? Probably by 2022!
News in Asia
New railway line will soon link Denchai in the Phrae province, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Khong, the two latter destinations located in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand. The respective project has been recently approved by the Thai cabinet.