BANGKOK, Thailand – The Department of Rail Transport (DRT), in collaboration with the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), has conducted field inspections and collected steel samples from the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project (Contract 3-1) to verify their compliance with safety standards following the March 28 earthquake that affected parts of the region.
Dr. Thayakorn Chantrangsu, Director of the Safety Standards and Track Maintenance Division of the DRT, led the inspection team along with officials from TISI and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). They visited the construction sites of the Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima Phase 1 section, specifically the Kaeng Khoi–Klang Dong and Pang Asok–Bandai Ma segments. Representatives from the construction supervision consultant (CSC) and ITD-CREC No.10 Joint Venture—comprising Italian-Thai Development PCL and China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Co., Ltd—joined the visit at the Thap Kwang steel storage facility.
The team collected three samples each of five sizes of SD40-grade deformed steel bars (DB10, DB12, DB16, DB20, and DB25) for laboratory testing at the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand. The steel is supplied by Tata Steel (Thailand) PCL and Thai Steel Profile PCL. This follow-up action stems from concerns raised after a partial collapse of an under-construction government audit office building during the recent earthquake.
Earlier on April 3, SRT officials and structural engineers had already taken initial steel samples from the Muak Lek storage site. Preliminary test results indicate the steel meets the required standards for high-speed rail construction, with yield strength not less than 400 MPa, tensile strength over 540 MPa, and elongation of at least 16%. Chemical composition test results are still pending.
As of the end of March 2025, the overall progress of the Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail project stands at 42.914%, while the specific progress for Contract 3-1 is at 8%. No structural damage or cracking was observed in the inspected sections following the earthquake.
The DRT emphasized its commitment to ensuring the quality of materials and adherence to construction protocols to uphold public confidence in the safety and reliability of Thailand’s rail infrastructure. (TNA)
