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The State Railways of Thailand is to consider acquiring 100 diesel-electric locomotives worth Bt19.5 billion to replace retiring ones and serve upcoming double-track rail routes.
SRT deputy governor Tanongsak Pongprasert said management would discuss the proposal within the next month. The SRT wants to set aside a budget of Bt6.5 billion to bid for 50 locomotives by e-auction and hold a conventional auction to lease another 50 locomotives for Bt13 billion. It wants to rent the trains for 15 years with an option for a further five years. 
Currently the SRT owns 140 diesel-electric locomotives, of which more than half are in prime condition and the others will be retired soon. 
If the auctions can be held this year, the SRT will start receiving the locomotives over the next two years. 
That would tie in well with the expected completion date for the new double-track routes of 2019 or 2020.

A JEWEL IN THE CROWN FOR THAI INDUSTRY

The International Trade Promotion Department has set the target for Thailand to be one of the world’s top three jewellery exporters by 2021, thanks to the continued growth of the sector.
At Bt500 billion the jewellery industry is ranked the third largest contributor to the country’s exports, according to the department’s director-general Malee Choklumlerd.
The value dropped slightly to Bt200 billion in the first six months of 2017 but the department is confident last year’s figure will at least be matched again. 
When the forecast domestic jewellery trade of Bt500 billion is added, the industry as a whole is expected to account for 5.6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product this year.
The sector currently employs more than two million people. 

SKY-HIGH RATING FOR MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM

TRIS Rating has confirmed an “A” rating for Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) and its senior unsecured debentures. 
The ratings reflect BTSC’s strong business profile as one of the two dominant mass transit system operators in Thailand, with steady growth and predictable cash flows from its trains and its entrenched position in media businesses. 
BTSC’s financial profile is expected to be weighed down by a surge in debt over the next few years, however, as it pursues recently awarded contracts for Bangkok’s metropolitan mass transit expansion projects. 
BTSC is the core business and key revenue and profit contributor of BTS Group Holdings PLC (BTS). The credit profiles of BTSC and BTS are closely linked. Currently, BTS is rated “A” with a “stable” outlook by TRIS Rating.