Laos-China railway was officially opened today

[goji]

If COVID restrictions were abolished, I guess it would now be possible to go all the way from London to Bangkok by train, except for the 24km between the 2 railway stations in Vientiane.

[christianpfc]

Except for the gap from Vientiane to Thanaleng. The track width in Russia is different from Europe, so that is not an issue. It seems different widths are in different colors in the map.

maps.n.more_265288717_978301346162566_2626659908861983215_n.jpg

[vnman]

The track width in Russia is different from Europe, so that is not an issue. It seems different widths are in different colors in the map.

maps.n.more_265288717_978301346162566_2626659908861983215_n.jpg

Indeed, I saw a youtube video not too long ago about this. It was a trip from Paris up to Russia. Somewhere along the way, they changed the wheelbase of the train.

[RonanTheBarbarian]

There are few different options for long-distance train journey using this new link.

I guess if one wanted to start in the United Kingdom, the longest possible journey would be to start at the Kyle of Lochalsh station (opposite the Isle of Skye), which is the terminus of one of the Scottish Highlands rail lines, from there travel to Edinburgh, London, Moscow, Beijing, Kunming, Vientiane, Bangkok, and then down to Singapore.

I think you would be able to do such a journey with just changing trains within train stations, apart from in Vientiane, where you would have a bit of a cross-town trek. I have the Kyle of Lochalsh in my head because I remember about 10 or 15 years ago reading an account on a blog of somebody that went from the there to Singapore almost entirely by train. I think they went from over the Trans-Siberian, and on to Saigon. They had to do the Saigon to Bangkok portion by bus and then back on rail to Singapore.

At the time they were hoping to eventually be able to do the trip again when trains connected Saigon to Bangkok via Phnom Penh, and do it all by train this time.

Back then, like most other people, I suppose the blogger did not anticipate that the growing economic strength and power of China would lift to Laos up ahead of Cambodia in the intercontinental train stakes.

I am imagine that such a journey from the Kyle of Lochalsh would be slightly shorter though, then the one suggested on the posted map, going from the south of Portugal to Singapore via Moscow. I wonder how many days of travel on a train that would take you?

[gerefan2]

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I guess if one wanted to start in the United Kingdom, the longest possible journey would be to start at the Kyle of Lochalsh station (opposite the Isle of Skye), which is the terminus of one of the Scottish Highlands rail lines, from there travel to Edinburgh, London, Moscow, Beijing, Kunming, Vientiane, Bangkok, and then down to Singapore.

Actually, you could add 100 miles to that trip by catching the train at Thurso (the most northerly station in the UK).

It would be a bit like practicing bleeding though!

[mr giggles]

I guess if one wanted to start in the United Kingdom, the longest possible journey would be to start at the Kyle of Lochalsh station (opposite the Isle of Skye), which is the terminus of one of the Scottish Highlands rail lines, from there travel to Edinburgh, London, Moscow, Beijing, Kunming, Vientiane, Bangkok, and then down to Singapore.

I think you would be able to do such a journey with just changing trains within train stations, apart from in Vientiane, where you would have a bit of a cross-town trek. I have the Kyle of Lochalsh in my head because I remember about 10 or 15 years ago reading an account on a blog of somebody that went from the there to Singapore almost entirely by train. I think they went from over the Trans-Siberian, and on to Saigon. They had to do the Saigon to Bangkok portion by bus and then back on rail to Singapore.

The English Channel might put a stick in your spokes.

[Nirish guy]

Someone’s never heard of the Channel Tunnel rail link obviously then …….

[latintopxxx]

all that giggling has jarred the few brain cells it possesed

[gerefan2]

Someone’s never heard of the Channel Tunnel rail link obviously then …….

It’s been open a quarter of a century, so well after Giggles lost his marbles!

[Uranus]

Three generations of the Lao people will be paying for the debt incurred as a result of the Chinese hegemony over poor neighbours.

This goes to prove that president Xi is nothing but an old fashioned Chinese loan shark.