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.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in December 2017, but the project is less than halfway finished, reported Reuters.

The project is divided into two phases, with phase I covering the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section and phase II extending to Nong Khai, reported Bangkok Post.

More than one-third of the construction for the segment linking Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima has been completed.

The construction progress of the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail system currently stands at 35.8%, with two sections completed and others either under construction or in the procurement process.

The Thai segment will eventually link with a $6bn rail line from Vientiane, Laos to Kunming, China, which commenced service in 2021 and is predominantly owned by China.

The high-speed rail line is a component of the Belt and Road initiative, spearheaded by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which aims to enhance trade and infrastructure connections across Asia.

Despite initial agreements between Thailand and China signed in 2017 and an original operation date set for 2021, the project faced setbacks due to financial and design disagreements, as well as disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.