Northeastern Line is a

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

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 b ...

that connects the capital

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

with the northeast region of

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...

. The section from Bangkok to

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...

is Thailand's first line that opened for passenger service.History of Thai Railway
The line is also a key section on the central route of the

Kunming–Singapore railway The Kunming–Singapore railway, increasingly called the Pan-Asia railway Network is a network of railways that connects China, Singapore and all the countries of mainland Southeast Asia. The concept originated with the British and French co ...

Route description

The Northeastern Line shares tracks with

Northern Line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, tw ...

between Bangkok and

Ban Phachi Junction Ban Phachi Junction ( th, สถานีชุมทางบ้านภาชี, ) is a railway junction located in Phachi District, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. It is a Class 1 Station and serves as a junction for the North and Northeaste ...

. It has three main branches: *

Ubon Ratchathani Main Line Ubon Ratchathani Main Line or Lower Isan Line is a railway line in Thailand. It runs from Ban Phachi Junction in the Central Thailand, central to Ubon Ratchathani railway station in the lower Northeastern Thailand, northeastern, passes many provin ...

, between

and

Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani ( th, อุบลราชธานี, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan (with Khorat/ Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen), also known as the "big four of Isan." The city is on the Mun River in the so ...

* Nong Khai Main Line, between Bangkok and

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 ...

, branching off after Nakhon Ratchasima. The line also crosses the Thai-Lao border into Thanaleng. An extension is currently being constructed to the new Khamsavath Station. * Lam Narai Branch Line

Timeline

Ubon Ratchathani Main Line

* 9 March 1891 - started construction * 26 March 1897 - opened

– Ayutthaya * 1 November 1897 - Ayutthaya– Kaeng Khoi * 21 December 1900 - opened Kaeng Khoi–

* 1 November 1922 - opened Nakhon Ratchasima–Tha Chang near a pier on Mun river that allowed boat service between Tha Chang and Ubon Ratchathani along Mun river * 1 April 1925 - opened Tha Chang – Buriram * 1 August 1928 - opened Buriram–

Sisaket ) , leader_title1 = , leader_name1 = , leader_title2 = , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = , leader_name3 = , leader_title4 ...

* 1 April 1930 - opened Sisaket–

SRT also built a short railway line from Bung Wai to Ban Pho Mun which was opened on 1 August 1930,Annual Report of Royal State Railway BE2473, published in 1932 but the line was closed on 1 December 1954 due to the construction of Seri Prachathippatai bridge (officially opened in 1955) that allowed the connection between Ubon Ratchathani city and

without the need for ferry across Mun river.

Nong Khai Main Line

* 1 April 1933 - opened

–

Khon Kaen Khon Kaen ( th, ขอนแก่น, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen province and ...

* 24 June 1941 - Khon Kaen–

Udon Thani Udon Thani ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is a city in Isan ( Northeast Thailand), the capital of Udon Thani Province and with a population of approximately 430,000 in its urban area the 7th largest city in the country. The city municipality ...

* 13 September 1955 - Udon Thani– Na Tha (first Nong Khai station) * 31 July 1958 - Na Tha–Nong Khai (Talat Nong Khai, second Nong Khai station) * 2008 -

(new, third and current Nong Khai station)–Talat Nong Khai section closed. * 5 March 2009 -

– Thanaleng (

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 nationa ...

) An extension from Thanaleng to Vientiane is currently under construction.

Kaeng Khoi–Bua Yai Branch Line

* 19 August 1967 - entire line opened Kaeng Khoi Junction– Bua Yai Junction.

Stations list

References

External links

SRT route map
{{Kunming–Singapore railway Railway lines in Thailand Railway lines opened in 1896 Metre gauge railways in Thailand