Sino-Thai railway project set to start as soon as September despite delays
Both China and Thailand have agreed that construction of the first section of the Sino-Thai railway should begin in September, media reported Friday, after initial worries on the project.
Despite financial differences, both countries agreed at a meeting on Thursday that the construction of the first 3.5-kilometer section should begin in September, the Bangkok Post reported.
The section is expected to connect the Klang Dong and Pang Asok areas in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district, according to the report.
“The cost will certainly not be greater than 179 billion baht ($5 billion),” Thailand’s Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisit said after the 12th meeting of the Joint Committee on Railway Cooperation between the Thailand and China held on Thursday, the Bangkok Post reported.
“We plan to use domestic loans and state budget for the construction of this 3.5-kilometer section,” Arkhom said. The minister also said that both sides need to settle the costs of a feasibility study and the expenses at staff training.
He added that the final project could be forwarded to the cabinet as soon as next month.
The 12th meeting of the committee was held in Bangkok to discuss the price, design, purchase, contracting is- sue and finance cooperation on the railway. The past meetings had produced a broad consensus between the two sides, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Wang Xiaotao, deputy head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), also attended the meeting on Thursday.
The NDRC had not replied to an interview request from the Global Times as of press time.
“The cooperation model has changed right now and the investment in the project will be made by the Thai side alone,” a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand said on Monday, Xinhua reported.
In December 2015, China and Thailand held a launch ceremony at Chiang Rak Noi Station in central Thailand to celebrate the first standard-gauge railway in Thailand.
On December 19, 2014, the two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on railway cooperation under the Strategic Framework for Development of Thailand’s Transportation Infrastructure 2015-2022.