The First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge ( th, สะพานมิตรภาพ ไทย-ลาว แห่งที่ 1, ; lo, ຂົວມິດຕະພາບ ລາວ-ໄທ ແຫ່ງທຳອິດ, ) is a bridge over the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

, connecting

Nong Khai Province Nong Khai province ( th, หนองคาย, ) was formerly the northernmost of the Isan, northeastern (Isan) Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand until its eight eastern districts were split off to form Thailand's newes ...

and the city of

Nong Khai Nong Khai ( th, เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

with

Vientiane Prefecture Vientiane (or ''Viengchan'', Also known as ''Vientiane Prefecture'' or ''Vientiane Municipality'') ( Lao: ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ, ''Nakhônlouang ViangChan'') is a prefecture of Laos, in the northwest Laos. The national ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

; the city of

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

is approximately from the bridge. With a length of 1,170 meters (0.73 mi), the bridge has two -wide road lanes, two -wide footpaths and a single gauge railway line in the middle, straddling the narrow central reservation. * The

rail gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...

is * The

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...

might be * The

structure gauge A structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is a diagram or physical structure that sets limits to the extent that bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure can encroach on rail vehicles. It specifies the height and width of pl ...

(roughly equal to a road lane) might be about

History

Opened on 8 April 1994, it was the first bridge across the lower Mekong, and the second on the full course of the Mekong. The cost was about A$42 million, funded by the Australian government as

development aid Development aid is a type of aid, foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political International development, development of developing countries. Closely-rel ...

for Laos. The bridge was designed and built by Australian companies as a demonstration of their ability to complete major infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia. The concept design of a balanced cantilever bridge was proposed by Bruce Ramsay of VSL with the final design carried out by Maunsell consulting engineers. The official name of the bridge was changed by the addition of "First" after the

Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...

further south at

Savannakhet Savannakhet (ສະຫວັນນະເຂດ), officially named Kaysone Phomvihane ( lo, ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ; th, ไกสอน พมวิหาน) since 2005 and previously known as ''Khanthaboury'' (ຄັນທະ ...

opened in January 2007.

Road traffic

Traffic on the bridge drives on the left, as in Thailand, while traffic in Laos drives on the right. The changeover at the Lao end, just before the border post, is controlled by traffic lights. A shuttle bus service operates across the bridge, between the Lao and Thai border posts. Bicycles and tricycles can travel on either the road or the footpath, while pedestrians can walk directly on the footpath. The bridge is part of

AH12 Asian Highway 12 (AH12) is a route of the Asian Highway Network, with a length of 1,195 km (747 miles) that runs from AH3 in Nateuy, Laos, through Muang Xay, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Na ...

of the Asian Highway Network.

Railway

A meter gauge rail track from Nong Khai station runs along the central reservation of the bridge. Road traffic is stopped when a train is crossing. On 20 March 2004, an agreement between the Thai and Lao governments was signed to extend the railway to

Thanaleng Railway Station Thanaleng station, also known as Dongphosy station (''Ban Dong Phosy'' in Lao), is a railway station in Dongphosy village, Hadxayfong District, Vientiane Prefecture, Laos. It is east of the Lao capital city of Vientiane and north of the Lao-Tha ...

in Laos, about from the bridge. This was the first railway link to Laos (but not the first railway, as a short

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

line once existed). The Thai government agreed to finance the line through a combination of grant and loan. Construction formally began on 19 January 2007. Test trains began running on 4 July 2008. Formal inauguration occurred on 5 March 2009. On 22 February 2006, approval of funding for the rail line from

to Vientiane, was announced by the

French Development Agency The French Development Agency (french: Agence française de développement, AFD) is a public financial institution that implements the policy defined by the French Government. It works to fight poverty and promote sustainable development. This pub ...

. A US$50 million loan was also reportedly received from the Thai government for the extension. Construction was originally slated to begin in December 2010, and Lao railway officials had confirmed as late as September 2010 that plans would go ahead. The extension, which would have taken an estimated three years to complete, would have stretched from Thanaleng to a new main Khamsavath Station The station will be completed by June 2022 and open 2023. Since February 2010 the

Eastern and Oriental Express The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. It runs between Singapore's Woodlands Train Checkpoint and Bangkok railway station, Bangkok, stopping at Kuala Lumpur railway s ...

crosses the Mekong via the bridge into Laos. There is currently no connection to the China-Laos Railway but the standard gauge line circles the north east of Vientiane to a depot just 2 km from the Friendship Bridge. A new bridge is proposed from this point to join the proposed Thai High speed line at Nong Khai station just south of the Mekong.

References

External links

Eastern and Oriental Express

Video: journey, Nong Khai to Thanaleng

Video: RHN Hitachi Railcars, built in 1967
Bridges over the Mekong River International bridges Laos–Thailand border crossings Bridges in Thailand Bridges in Laos Road-rail bridges International railway lines Rail transport in Laos Railway bridges in Thailand Buildings and structures in Nong Khai province Buildings and structures in Vientiane Bridges completed in 1994 Greater Mekong Subregion {{DEFAULTSORT:First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

History

Road traffic

Railway

See also

References

External links