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By APD Writer Chen Jiabao
BANGKOK, July 12 (APD) -- Thai cabinet greenlighted
the construction of the first phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed train project linking Bangkok to the gateway town of the country's northeastern region on Tuesday.
The cabinet has approved the first section of the 253-kilometer-long Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail project under a budget of 179 billion baht(5.2 billion U.S. dollars).
The State Railway of Thailand will be the executor of the four-year project, according to Kobsak Futrakul, vice minister to Prime Minister's office.
The first phase, consisting of six stations, will be wholly funded by Thailand, who reserves the right to manage lands along the route.
The Finance Ministry was urged to seek options for funding sources, including loans and the issuance of government bonds.
Some 2,815 rai(4.5 square kilometers) of land will need to be expropriated in order to build the railway, Kobsak said.
The train will run at a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour.
China will provide Thailand with technology know-how.
After completed in 2021, the train will run every 90 minutes, carrying 5,300 passengers in its 11 daily trips. The number of trains and their frequency is expected to increase by 2051 when it is forecasted to transport at least 26,800 passengers per day.
The first phase is set to be build around September.
Kobsak said Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima is the first period of a total of three planned routes.
The second route will be built from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai – the border town to Laos.
Thailand will eventually link to China via the 440-kilometer railways in Laos.
Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said this will be Thailand's first high-speed train,which is expected to link Thailand to China's Belt and Road master plan and make the country the regional hub of southeast Asia.
The prime minister has invoked an absolute power under the interim charter to get rid of legal snags hindering the project implementation to allow Chinese engineers and architects to work for the project without Thai engineers or architect licenses.
The project was introduced as a joint-venture between the two countries but Thailand later changed its mind, deciding to fund the entire project on its own and shorten the length of railway.
Thailand remains capricious on the deal, leading
to the long delay of the project, which has been negotiated for 19 times before it got the cabinet's nod.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
