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.

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

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 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.

Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy is looking to improve its connectivity with China, its biggest trading partner.

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.

Thailand's high-speed rail project connecting Bangkok to China through Laos has achieved significant progress, with the first phase now over one-third complete