Laos: Giant Group to build railway line from Savannakhet to Lao Bao

The Giant Group Limited, and offshore company based in British Virgin Island, was all set to begin construction of USD three-billion railway line from Savan-SENO in Savannakhet province, to Lao Bao on the Laos-Vietnam border, in either February or March next year. According to the International Director of GGL, Mr. Noor Mohamed Ahamad, based in Vientiane, the master agreement, between the government of Laos and his company, would be signed in December 2009 and at present both side were putting the final touches to this contract. The total cost would be in the region of five billion USD and the expenditure would be spread over a period of four and a half to five years. When it would be operational in a few years’ time, this trans-boundary railway line would become the life-blood of the tri-nation East-West Economic Corridor, comprising Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, it would also act as a mode of transportation and at the same time facilitate communication between the various people, thus spurring economic growth within the corridor. It was certain that the engines of the trains would be used to pull the boxcars that carried the minerals from the mines of mineral rich Savannakhet province in central Laos, gold, copper, iron ore and others to the Vietnamese port, My Thuy, and from there by ship to China.