The Thailand government has given assurances that it will carry on with the joint railway construction project with China, saying the Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi-Khorat section will begin to take shape within this year.
Following speculations that the government has cancelled its planned cooperation with China on railway development, Deputy Government Spokesperson Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd rejected the information as false. Instead, he disclosed that both sides have agreed on the China-proposed construction of a medium-speed system on the Nong Khai-Khorat-Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut section and Kaeng Khoi-Bangkok section, totalling a distance of 873 kilometres.
The Deputy Government spokesperson said the new system would connect with another Chinese-Lao rail line via Nong Khai and Vientiane.
The project will be discussed at the fifth meeting of the Thai-Chinese Joint Committee later this month while a route survey and cost assessment will be finished by August as scheduled.
Construction will start on the Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi-Khorat section by the end of this year.
Major General Sansern insisted that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has a clear policy on forging cooperation with neighbouring countries in order to develop the Thai railway system and raise the regional logistics efficiency.
Andrew Batt, International Group Editor of PropertyGuru Group, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email andrew@propertyguru.com.sg
