High-speed rail linking 3 airports opens ‘in 2029’

Construction of the Don Mu eang Suva rn abhu mi-U-Tap ao high-speed railway (HSR), officially known as the High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports, is underway. The project is expected to be completed by 2029, said deputy government spokeswoman Tipanan Sirichana yesterday.

Ms Tipanan said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as chairman of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) committee, has ordered authorities to expedite the project, to provide fast, modern, convenient and seamless public transport between the three airports.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the EEC committee have signed a contract with a private consortium to build the 220-kilometre high-speed rail link at a cost of 224.5 billion baht.

The consortium will have the right to operate the system for 50 years, after which the project and assets — estimated to be worth 300 billion baht — will be transferred to the state.

The high-speed rail link will run on a standard 1.43-metre gauge, allowing it to share the tracks used by the Airport Rail Link (ARL) as well as SRT’s electric commuter trains.

The line will also run along the ARL’s route, with additional tracks laid from Phayathai station to link it with Don Mueang airport. At Lat Krabang station, it will branch out from the main line, before continuing towards U-Tapao airport.

The service, which will run at a maximum speed of 250km per hour, would ultimately span across five provinces — Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao — with a total of nine stations, namely Don Mueang, Bang Sue, Makkasan, Suvarnabhumi, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Si Racha, Pattaya and U-Tapao. Ms Tipanan said the land needed to construct the project between Suvarnabhumi and U-tapao was handed over to the private consortium in June 2022.