Thailand aims to establish its first high-speed rail connection to China via Laos, enhancing trade and relations. The 609-kilometer network, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, promises economic growth despite current delays.

Government spokesman says the rail line will connect Thailand to the global economy and bring it closer to becoming a logistics hub.

Thailand expects its 609-km (378 miles) portion of a high-speed railway that will connect it with China through Laos to begin operations in 2030, its government said on Wednesday, nearly a decade later than originally planned.

Thailand says its $13bn high-speed railway to China through Laos will enter service in 2030, South China Morning Post reports.

Thailand expects to complete its first high-speed rail network linking the country to China through Laos in 2030, a long-delayed project officials have touted as key to furthering bilateral relations and trade between the two nations.

Thailand expects its 609-km (378 miles) portion of a high-speed railway that will connect it with China through Laos to begin operations in 2030, its government said on Wednesday, nearly a decade later than originally planned.

Thailand has announced that its section of the high-speed railway, which will connect the country with China through Laos, is slated to begin operations in 2030, marking a delay of nearly a decade from the original timeline of 2021.

By 2030, the US$13 billion Thai network is expected to connect to the Laos-China high-speed railway via a bridge over the Mekong River.