Completed Vientiane station on track for Laos-China Railway opening

Image from The Laotian Times

VIENTIANE, Oct 10: Vientiane Capital Station along the Laos-China Railway was unveiled on Saturday (Oct 9) as it nears completion before the opening of the railway in December, reports Laotian Times

Constructed over some 14,543 square metres in Xay Village, Xaythany District, Vientiane Capital Station will be the largest station along the railway, with three platforms and five track lines.

The station was built by China Railway Construction Group with the design concept evoking the “City of Sandalwood”, the original meaning of the capital city’s name.

The station was also designed to reflect the friendship between China and Laos.

According to Xinhua, the station’s main building takes the Chinese traditional ancient architecture stretch ratio as the benchmark, and combines the environmental characteristics of Vientiane with the Chinese classic architecture’s door style.

Meanwhile, the facade extracts elements of tropical rainforests, with eight tree-branch-shaped eaves and columns supporting the station hall roof. When the sun shines on the station, the eaves will appear as trees casting shadows across the facade.

The Laos-China Railway is on track to officially open on 2 December this year, running some 426 kilometers between China and Vientiane Capital, with an operating speed of 160km per hour.