Panel on Thai-Chinese rail project to hold first meeting January 20-22
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A Thai-Chinese railway project worth Bt400 billion is to discussed by leading officials from the two nations in a couple of weeks at their first meeting.
“Officials of both sides under the Thai-Chinese Railway Development Committee will hold a meeting to discuss and determine the project’s time frame and the project’s framework from January 20 to 22,” said Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong.
Last month, the Thai and Chinese governments reached a memorandum of understanding for joint development of two standard-gauge railroads running trains capable of speeds up to 180km/h.
One 737-kilometre route will run from Nong Khai to Bangkok via Nakhon Ratchasima, Kaeng Khoi district of Saraburi, and Laem Chabang in Chon Buri to Map Ta Phut in Rayong. The other route will run 133km from Kaeng Khoi to Bangkok.
The railway project is part of the Kingdom’s eight-year (2015-2022) transport infrastructure strategic plan.
Prajin said that at its first meeting, the committee was expected to discuss the framework of the railway project including design, budgeting, and land expropriation, and whether the exact routes would be changed from previous plans.
Under the committee’s tentative schedule, there will be further discussions about the investment model from February 5-7, a construction-site survey from February to March, and finalisation of the investment budget around August or September.
Prajin said China’s rail installation and routing system would be used. There would be a clearer picture on which agency will operate the two routes before the end of the year.
“We have set a target to complete the railroad construction two years faster than planned previously, by 2017,” he said.
