Chiang Rai News
Excavation Begin on 6.2-Kilometer Railway Tunnel in Chiang Rai
Thailand’s State Railway has begun digging the 6.2-kilometer railway tunnel that will connect Den Chai in Phrae with Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district, located on the banks of the Mekong River.
According to Thailand’s State Railway’s public relations chief, Mr. Ekkarat Sriarayanpong, the project is part of the 323.10km-long upgrades that will see another track laid out next to the existing rail track between Den Chai and Chiang Khong.
“Workers have begun boring into the rock face and are scheduled to install the tunnel’s primary support structure,” he said.
When finished, the dual track upgrades will allow for onward connections to Laos and Myanmar, which the government hopes will reduce logistics costs and increase trade with Thailand’s neighbours.
To reduce traffic congestion, the upgraded tracks were designed without any level crossings, so underpasses and/or overpasses will be built at 254 locations where the tracks intersect a road.
The dual track upgrades have been divided into three contracts: the Den Chai-Ngao section, the Ngao-Chiang Rai section, and the Chiang Rai-Chaing Khong section.
The project’s land expropriation will affect 7,704 privately held land title deed plots, 783 Sor Por Kor agricultural land plots, 13 plots of forest land, and 465 plots of land designated for other purposes.
Through four tunnels, the double tracks will have 26 stops, including four major stations, nine small stations, and 13 halts.
In Chiang Khong station, four cargo loading platforms and a warehouse will be built, as well as a road connection to the border. Furthermore, each station will be decorated in accordance with the identity of the surrounding areas.
The project will begin at Den Chai station in Phrae and will travel north through Lampang and Phayao before terminating at the Chiang Khong border in Chiang Rai.
According to Mr. Ekkarat, the double-track upgrades from Den Chai to Chiang Khong will be completed by 2028.
When finished, the project will reduce the travel time from Den Chai to the border to 1.5 hours, attracting more tourists and increasing local income, he said.
