Bangkok’s high-speed airport link slows down as new problems arise
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is facing problems in handing land over for the construction of the high-speed airport railway link due to expropriation problems.
As many as 100 expropriation contracts are on hold due to inaccuracies, while the process of getting land ready for the two-section Phya Thai-Bang Sue phase has been further delayed.
The Transport Ministry said on Saturday that SRT will be able to deliver 170 kilometres for the Suvarnabhumi-U-Tapao link within October 24 as scheduled.
The ministry admitted that the expropriation process has been delayed due to discrepancies in area measurement and compensation for the expropriated land. The matter has been forwarded to the Budget Bureau for consideration. The bureau was expected to have concluded its review last month.
The ministry expects the problems to be ironed out within 90 days after the October 24 handover and for the construction to be completed on time.
The project, which will link Suvarnabhumi, U-Tapao and Don Mueang airports, involves 700 land expropriation contracts. However, 100 contracts have been rejected and more than 200 people are still squatting in the plots required for the project.
The SRT has taken the squatters to court and expects them to be ready to hand their land over at the beginning of next year.
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The Transport Ministry also said the 15.21km for the Bang Sue-Don Mueang section is under preparation, with public utilities such as the pumping station and plumbing being relocated. This area should be ready for delivery to the contractor, CP Group, by February next year.
As for the 22km required for the Phya Thai-Bang Sue section, the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) is nearing completion and will be handed over to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning this month. It is believed the assessment will take six months to review and the area should be handed over to the contractor by the end of next year.