SRT earmarks Bt10.25 billion to acquire land for Northeast double-track project
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is preparing a budget of Bt10.25 billion to expropriate over 17,500 rai (2,800 hectares) of land in six northeastern provinces for construction of a double-track rail route, a news source revealed on Sunday.
The project covers a distance of 355 kilometres from Khon Kaen to Nakhon Phanom provinces and passes 19 districts in four other provinces including Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Yasothon and Mukdahan.
The SRT will need to expropriate over 7,100 plots of land and 930 buildings that are currently in the project areas.
The source revealed that despite some protests by those who will be affected by the expropriation, the majority of local people in the six provinces agreed that the project should start as soon as possible to establish a cheap and reliable transport route that will facilitate the export of products from the northeastern provinces to neighbouring countries.
The Khon Kaen - Nakhon Phanom double-track project has a total budget of Bt66.84 billion, with Bt55.46 earmarked for construction of tracks and train system, Bt10.25 for land expropriation, and Bt1.13 for consulting and other services.
The project is scheduled to open for public use by 2028.