BANGKOK, 15 April 2013 – The Transport Ministry has come out to assure that the state-initiated high-speed train construction plan is now well under way for implementation within next year.
Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt, on Monday, tried to calm down concerns over possible delay of the widely-anticipated construction of the country’s first high-speed railway system.
The Transport Minister’s move was made after the ministry recently asked the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to review the worthiness of the construction of all 4 proposed lines, reportedly due to worries that the auction for the project will not take place before the end of the government’s term.
Mr. Chadchart also confirmed that the planned construction will still go on and the project is only going through all required steps and now in the middle of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
He stated that if the government’s draft 2-trillion-baht loan bill is passed, the auction will likely take place sometime in 2014.
The Transport Minister added that the initial construction should cover all routes within the 300-kilometer radius of Bangkok although a conclusion will only be derived after the NESDB has completed its review.
