Insiders expect China will soon announce a new high-speed rail connection through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia and Singapore.

The connection with Southeast Asia has been in planning stages for several year, but according to recent British reports, Laotian political leaders have met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to ramp up talks on the priority project.

All indications suggest a deal will be signed soon.

The plan will see high-speed lines begin in the Yunnan province capital of Kunming, running through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia before concluding in Singapore, a major trade hub for the region.

It is hoped the system will radically improve transportation for hundreds of millions of people, with trains able to cruise at over 190 km/h.

Plans reportedly exists to extended the network through Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam, promising huge economic and trade advantages by boosting the flow of people and goods.

‘Huge’ does not adequately describe the scale of the project, which will require the construction of 76 tunnels, 154 bridges and 31 train stations for the section running through Laos alone.

Reports say China will send 20,000 nationals to build the Laotian section of the line, which could be running within ten years.

The rail line has been the dream of leaders and colonists for over a hundred years, but now appears to be approaching the platform of agreement at the station of engineering feats.