Vientiane's Morning Market bus station to be rebuilt
Chitchalern Construction Company will rebuild the Morning Market bus station in Vientiane so that it can accommodate the 42 new buses being donated by the Japanese government.
Plans for the new bus station are still under discussion among the various sectors concerned so it is not yet known when construction will start, according to the Director of Vientiane State Bus Enterprise Mr Khamphoune Temerath.
The existing bus station near the Morning Market in central Vientiane.
The new facility will have eight storeys. The ground floor w ill be the bus station, the second and third floors will be used for private parking, and the remaining floors will house shops and other commercial outlets, he said. Deputy Director of the station Mr Bouapha Phetvixay said the enterprise will have a 70-year concession to operate the new building.
“We are looking at two places that could be chosen as a temporary bus station once work gets underway. One possibility is a plot of land in the Km 5 area of Chommany village in Xaysettha district and another is near the former Northern Bus Station in Nakham village, Sikhottabong district.”
The new Northern Bus Station is located in Dongnathong village, Sikhottabong district.
The Morning Market terminal is heavily used by people travelling around Vientiane, so the new facility will be a welcome change for the city's many bus passengers.
The 42 buses donated by the Japanese government will help to ease traffic congestion, while also reducing carbon emissions by lowering the number of motorbikes and cars on the road as more people opt to use public transport.
Since 1988, Japan has been supporting the improvement of public transport in Laos and in 2000 the Japanese government provided funding for 56 buses. The Vientiane Public Transport Enterprise is responsible for about 60 buses in the capital.
Traffic jams are increasing in Vientiane as the size of the city and its population increases. However, the number of people using public transport remains low.
