BANGKOK, 10 July 2013 The Transport Ministry has hired consulting companies to conduct engineering and EIA surveys on its new rail project on the Baan Phai-Maha Sarakham-Mukdahan-Nakhon Phanom route.
Deputy Permanent Secretary for Transport Soithip Traisut, in her capacity as chairperson of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Board, said after the contract signing ceremony between the SRT and the 4 consulting companies that the firms will be responsible for designing the rail route and assessing the environmental impact of the project. She said the new rail project will connect Baan Phai, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, and Nakhon Phanom, with a length of 347 kilometers. She added that the ministry has been studying this new route since 1994.
Meanwhile, SRT Governor Prapat Chongsanguan said not only the new project will connect northeastern provinces in Thailand, but it will also connect Thailand with Laos and will, in turn, help ease commuting and transporting of people and goods between the two countries.
The governor also mentioned about the Den Chai – Chiang Rai rail route, saying the project is now pending the environmental impact assessment. He expects the project to be ready for auction within this year.
