The Savannakhet – Lao Bao Railway is a proposed railway in Southern Laos that will form part of the East-West Economic Corridor Railway. The 220 km railway will run from Savannakhet on the Mekong River to Lao Bao on the border in Vietnam.
In November 2012 Giant Consolidated from Malaysia was awarded the contract to construct and operate the Savannakhet-Lao Bao Railway.
There was a ground-breaking ceremony for this project on 18 December, 2013. The right-of-way for the railway corridor was marked out, but construction did not begin.
A new study began in 2022 by Jiangsu Hengtong Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
For the East-West Economic Corridor Railway, Vietnam proposed to build a railway from Lao Bao to Dong Ha, and the line could also connect to the port in Da Nang.
Thailand are building a new line from Ban Phai to Nakhon Phanom. The line will go via Mukdahan, which is across the Mekong River from Savannakhet. Unfortunately, this is a metre-gauge line, so there will be a break of gauge as Laos and Vietnam plan to build on the standard gauge. Read more about the mixed-gauge mess of Thailand’s railways.
Savannakhet – Lao Bao Railway stations and map
[Map of Savannakhet – Lao Bao Railway.]
There are 11 planned stations on the line:
– Savannakhet
– Nasay
– Seno
– Atsaphangthong
– Phalanxay
– Dongbang (Mai Posi)
– Xethamouak
– Vangkoung (Kammakon)
– Sepon
– Ban Dong (Dong)
– Densavan (Kahan)
A promotional video shows the railway including 11 stations along the way.
Youtube: Laos railway Project animation
The video shows a modern Savannakhet skyline and passenger trains travelling on a double-track railway.
[Laos Railways by Giant Rail Company Limited.]
There is another plan to build a railway from Vientiane to Pakse in the south of Laos. That would make Savannakhet a junction station. So maybe Savannakhet will eventually have a skyline like the one portrayed in the video.
[Future Savannakhet Station]
The video also shows a “Laos Railways” company. If there were 11 stations then there would be a domestic railway service stopping all stations, and international trains from Thailand or Vietnam passing through. Some news reports have called it a high-speed railway, but it would more likely be a semi-high-speed railway like the Laos-China Railway.
News archive
2025
Major infrastructure push targets road, rail, and waterway upgrades in Laos – [30/09/25]
“Feasibility studies and design work are currently underway for the Vientiane–Thakhek–Naphao line connecting to Vietnam’s Vung Ang port, the Kaisone Phomvihane City–Dansavanh route in Savannakhet province, and the Vientiane–Champasack Railway Project.”
2024
Vietnamese, Lao provinces consider building joint cross-border economic zone – [11/03/24]
“In the future, the province will also consider building the Dong Ha – Lao Bao railway to be linked with the Densavan – Savannakhet railway of Laos, thereby forming a railway on the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC).”
2022
Laos rethinks Savannakhet to Lao Bao railway project – [21/09/22]
“The Lao government has consented to a feasibility study for the construction of a 220 km railway route from Savannakhet province to Lao Bao, which is situated in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, near the Lao border.”
Sign MOU to study the construction of the railway from Savannakhet-Laobao province – [16/09/22]
“Signing MOU for Savannakhet-Lao Bao Railway for the feasibility study and EIA with the distance of 220 km, 11 stations and a price tag of 5,000 million US dollars.”
2016
Developer set to install Savan-Laobao railway corridor posts – [03/10/16]
“Giant Rail Company Limited (GRCL) on Friday signed a contract with a Lao company to install railway route corridor posts for a planned line linking Laos’ central province of Savannakhet to the Vietnamese border.”
Feasibility study for Laos-Vietnam railway begins – [25/02/16]
“In 2012, the Lao government signed an agreement with a Malaysian investor, Giant Rail Company Limited, to develop the Savan-Lao Bao rail project linking central Savannakhet province of Laos with the Laos-Vietnam Dansavan-Lao Bao border gate over a distance of about 220km in length. This project is still in the preparation stage for construction.”
2015
annx.asianews.network/content/railway-development-turn-landlocked-laos-land-link-4667
Railway development to turn landlocked Laos into a land-link [1 December, 2015]
Vientiane-Pakxe-Chongmek project (the 3D rail project) will connect Vangtao-Chongmek Lao-Thai border checkpoint in southern province of Champassak with the Savan-Lao Bao railway project and the Vientiane–Thakhek–Mugia rail project as well as the Vientiane-Boten project.
Regional road and rail projects inching forward to facilitate greater linkage – [05/10/15]
“…developers and relevant officials are working on detailed design of the US$5 billion Savan-Lao Bao rail project technically known as the 3C rail project that will link the Lao central province of Savannakhet to the Lao-Vietnamese Dansavanh-Lao Bao border checkpoint. Malaysia’s Giant Rail Co Ltd is handling the 220-km project.
The Malaysian developer said the project will contribute to the Lao government’s efforts in linking the East-West Economic Corridor – rail link from Myanmar through Thailand and Laos – to end with construction of My Thuy deepsea port at Dong Ha in Quang Tri province in Vietnam.”
2014
Savanakhet-Lao Bao high speed rail project taking shape – [15/09/14]
“Laos and Malaysia recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conduct preliminary surveys for the US$5 billion Savanakhet-Lao Bao high speed rail project connecting Laos and Vietnam.”
Authorities to hold talks over delayed rail project – [28/05/14]
“Lao authorities plan to hold talks with a foreign investor to discuss why they have yet to begin the US$5 billion Savan-Laobao rail project, a senior government official said.”
Laos Breaks Ground On Railway Project Linking Thailand to Vietnam – [03/01/14]
“Laos has broken ground on an ambitious high-speed railway project linking the country’s western border with Thailand to Vietnam and is likely to begin full construction this month, according to sources.”
[Giant holds a groundbreaking ceremony for the Savannakhet-Lao Bao railway project in Savannakhet, Dec. 18, 2013.]
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