High-speed railway to link China and Thailand: Thai official  

泰国官方透露坤敬与昆明间将通高铁 具体日程未公布

泰国会议展览局主席诺帕拉特·梅萨维库柴15日在上海推介赴泰会展旅游活动时透露，作为泰国五个特色会展举办城市之一的坤敬，未来将与中国云南省昆明市之间连通高铁，届时由昆明至坤敬只需3个小时。[查看全文]

Shanghai (ECNS) – A Thailand official has said that a planned high-speed railway will cut the travel time from Thailand's Khon Kaen to China's southwest city of Kunming to three hours.

Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, president of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, disclosed the news on Sept 15 while promoting convention and exhibition tourism in Shanghai.

Khon Kaen, a city located in northeast Thailand, is an important transportation hub and investment center. It's also a key region for industrial development and convention tourism.

On August 9, Thailand waived visa fees for tourists from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan for stays shorter than three months, and an increase in convention tours has been seen since then. The railway is expected to further boost tourism.

Thai official statistics show that in the first three quarters of 2014, convention tourists from China to Thailand reached nearly 100,000, a 7.86 percent year-on-year increase.

Maythaveekulchai didn't provide details about the construction or timetable of the railway.