A guide to Vientiane Khamsavath railway station, including station amenities, tickets, and transport to and from the station.
Vientiane Khamsavath railway station (also known as Khamsavath railway station and Vientiane-Tai railway station) is a railway station that connects Vientiane to Thailand’s Northeastern Line.
The new station and railway extension from the border means that it’s now possible to get the train from Bangkok to Vientiane.
Khamsavath Railway Station map
[Map of Khamsavath Railway Station
About Vientiane Khamsavath Railway Station
Khamsavath officially opened on 31 October 2023, and the first passenger service from Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal arrived on 20 July, 2024.
[Grand opening of Khamsavath 20/07/24.]
There was previously a service from Nong Khai in Thailand to Thanaleng, which is just across the border. The line was extended by 7.5 km from Thanaleng to Khamsavath, making it possible to get the train from Bangkok to Vientiane.
The line from Thailand to Khamsavath is a metre-gauge railway. Khamsavath is not connected to Vientiane Station of the Laos-China Railway, which is on a standard gauge.
Immigration
Trains from Thailand process Thailand immigration at Nong Khai, and Laos immigration is processed at Khamsavath. The eVisa isn’t available here, so check check the visa status of your country before arriving.
[Immigration queue at Kamsavath.]
Train tickets
There is a ticket office for SRT trains and LCR trains.
You would have no problem buying a ticket on the day for the Udon Thani train, but I would book in advance if you want a bed on the overnight train to Bangkok.
[Thailand tickets at Khamsavath.]
Laos-China Railway tickets are also available here, but I would also advise to book in advance.
[Laos-China Railway tickets at Khamsavath.]
The timetable of the trains are shown on the display screen. There is an overnight train from Bangkok that arrives in the morning. That train then returns to Thailand as the Vientiane – Udon Thani service.
There is then an afternoon service from Udon Thani to Vientiane, and that train becomes the Vientiane to Bangkok overnight train.
The sleeper carriages don’t travel to Vientiane. If you have a sleeper bed, then you get on the sleeper carriage at Nong Khai.
Rapid 133/134 Krung Thep Aphiwat –Vientiane (Khamsavath) – Krung Thep Aphiwat
Rapid 147/148 Udon Thani – Vientiane (Khamsavath) – Udon Thani
[Khamsavath timetable.]
There is a display showing the ticket prices to Thailand, but they scroll too fast to view.
[Ticket prices from Khamsavath to Thailand.]
Confirm ticket times and prices at dticket.railway.co.th.
Facilities
With only two trains a day in each direction, there are no shops open here yet.
There is a currency exchange booth at the station, and the rates are reasonable. I check the buy and sell spread between the USD to get an idea if it’s a rip-off booth. I also check the rate on my currency app to be sure. You can pay for transport in Thai baht, but it’s good to get some change here if you are arriving with no Lao kip.
[Check the spread between the buy and sell rates.]
There is a coffee stand that opens when the trains are running.
[Dao Coffee at Khamsavath.]
There is a canteen area for a future food court, but it’s not open yet.
[Khamsavath canteen.]
There is nothing outside the station either, so don’t come here expecting to hang out at a nearby cafe before your train. Maybe the area will flourish in the future.
I arrived at the station earlier so I could get some photos. The station name at the front is a good photo opportunity.
Transport from Khamsavath Railway Station
I was impressed with how organised the transport options are for passengers arriving on the overnight train from Bangkok. Temporary transport desks are set up before passengers arrive, and every type of transport option is represented.
[Transport desks at Khamsavath Station.]
There is a shuttle bus that goes to the Central Bus Station. This station is within walking distance of the old city area of Vientiane.
[Shuttle bus from Khamsavath to Central Bus Station.]
Two-row car service (like a songthaew in Thailand) has more options around the city. They list Morning Market, which is also the name used for the Central Bus Station.
[Two-row car service from Khamsavath.]
Tuk-tuk services are available, which is a good option if you are in a group.
[Tuk-tuk service from Khamsavath.]
Minivan services are available to share or book the entire vehicle. All of the transport options offer services to Vientiane Station for the Laos-China Railway.
[Minivan service from Khamsavath.]
Taxi services are also available. Like every over service, prices are clearly marked to the most popular destinations that a tourist is likely to go to.
[Taxi service from Khamsavath.]
Grab is not available in Laos, but there is the LOCA ride-hailing app if you already have that.
All of these options were there for the passengers on the Bangkok train in the morning. I arrived on the evening train from Udon Thani, and there were no transport options available. There were only 10 people on my train so it wouldn’t make sense for all of these transport options to be operating.
I approached a station worker and asked about transport, and they called a taxi for me. I was quoted 400 Thai baht ($11.77 USD / 260,000 KIP) to go to the city centre. I didn’t know if that was the right price, but it turned out to be the fair price.
Getting from Vientiane city centre to Khamsavath
With only one train a day to Bangkok, there aren’t regular buses to the station. I went to the station with every intention of looking for a bus, but ended up getting a taxi for 200,000 KIP ($9.07 USD / 308 THB).
[The drive from Vientiane city centre to Khamsavath.]
Getting from Vientiane Laos-China Railway Station to Khamsavath
There are bus services from Vientiane Laos-China Railway Station to Khamsavath. There is a bus stop at the exit of the Vientiane Laos-China Railway Station, and services are clearly marked. If there isn’t a service to Khamsavath, you might be too early. Get the bus to the Central Bus Station and go to Khamsavath from there.
[Bus service from Vientiane Laos-China Railway Station.]
Future services
With only two train services per day in each direction, there is not much happening at the station.
Thailand is building a high-speed railway from Bangkok to Laos though this service may not got o Khamsavath.
[Overpass to Platforms 2 and 3 for future trains.]
There is a plan for a railway from Vientiane to Vung Ang in Vietnam, so who knows, maybe one day we will be getting trains to Vietnam from Khamsavath.
[Departing Vientiane Khamsavath.]
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This train travel review is part of the Southeast Asia railways guide.
