BANGKOK, 25 April 2012 – The Transport Ministry is pushing ahead with the planned construction of a high-speed train system after China and Japan have expressed interest in the project.
Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said on Tuesday that China and Japan have notified the Transport Ministry of their interest to invest in the country’s high-speed train construction project.
Accordingly, the state-appointed high-speed train project committee held a meeting to discuss the detail of the investment, which will later be reported to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for consideration.
Mr. Charupong added that, concurrently, a new committee, which will be chaired by the prime minister, will need to be set up to oversee the working committee in charge of drafting Thailand’s points of demand for high-speed electric train system, the engineering technology, the funding and investment, the approaches to add value to the project and the train operating committee.
In the preliminary process, the Ministry is considering 4 possible routes, including the 745-km Bangkok-Chiang Mai route worth 229 billion baht, the 614-km Bangkok-Nong Khai route worth 201.44 billion baht, the 221-km Bangkok-Rayong route worth 72.26 billion baht and the 225-km Bangkok-Hua Hin route worth 82.16 billion baht, according to the Transport Minister.
