Thailand's 'most romantic' railway through Chiang Rai to open in 2028
Train lovers rejoice! Chiang Rai will have a new rail route winding past lush mountains, beautiful bridges, tunnels and even breaking through the morning mist.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT)’s governor Nirut Maneephan said this will probably be the most romantic route in Thailand.
The 323-kilometre-long railway is set to run through four provinces in the North of Thailand – Phrae, Lampang, Phayao and Chiang Rai – and will have 26 stations.
Nirut said people in Chiang Rai have been waiting for a railway connection for more than 60 years now.
The new line will cost about 85.35 billion baht, and construction is about 2.7% faster than scheduled, he added.
About 80% of the land required has been expropriated as locals have been very cooperative, he said.
The governor added that over the past eight months, 950 metres of a tunnel for the route has also been completed.
He was speaking to reporters while visiting a 2.7km-long tunnel dug up for the rail route in Phayao’s Muang district.
He added that the Den Chai-Chiang Rai rail route will not just promote tourism, but will also serve as a new goods transport route linking the North of Thailand with Laos and southern China. The new railway will cut down travel time by an hour for those travelling by road.
