Consortium faces blacklist

Rail contract must be signed by Oct 15

The government is still optimistic the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP)-led consortium — the winner of a bid to build the 224-billion-baht high-speed railway linking three airports — will sign the contract on Oct 15 as required.

The railway project will link Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Rayong respectively.

“I’m sure CPH [the consortium] will come to sign the contract on Oct 15 because if they don’t, it will be blacklisted by the government and lose its credibility,” Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who oversees the project, said.

Worse still, he added, all other companies in the consortium — Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc, China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd, Ch Karnchang Plc, and Italian-Thai Development Plc — will also be affected if the consortium ends up blacklisted.

They would be blacklisted from competing for any future government project, said Mr Anutin, who is also the public health minister.

Mr Anutin denied he had a conflict with the consortium, but added he had to get the work done.

“It’s been almost a year now since CPH won the bid. So, it’s time to get started,” he said.

Asked what would happen if the CP-led consortium asks the government to clear the plot of land for construction before signing the contract, Mr Anutin said the government is required under the contract to first hand over only 50% of the land, which it has already done.

The remaining land will be handed over when the expropriation is complete.

Mr Anutin said that, personally, he thought the bid winner was attempting to hold out for a better deal.

“I do believe in the consortium’s capacity and that it will certainly continue with this project,” he added.