According to Thai media news, recently, Thailand's Minister of Transport Suriya presided over a meeting to promote and follow up on the major projects implemented by the Ministry of Transport, and decided to accelerate the process of promoting a number of projects, including the first phase of the Sino-Thai cooperation Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail project, which has a total length of 250.77 kilometers and a budget of 179,412.21 million baht, and is expected to be put into operation in 2028.
The meeting pointed out that the project was approved by the Cabinet on July 11, 2017, but the data as of February 25, 2024 shows that the cumulative progress of the project is only 31.92%, while the progress target for the same period is 71.44%, which is about 39.52% behind the established target. In this regard, the Ministry of Transport has urged the National Railway Administration to speed up the construction process as planned. At the same time, in order to ensure the construction process and avoid further contract extensions, the Ministry of Transport has authorized the Railway Transport Department to supervise the construction progress and help solve various problems.
The Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail project is part of the Bangkok-Nong Khai standard-scale railway project and part of China's "One Belt, One Road" strategy, which is of great strategic significance to connect the ASEAN region and China. At the same time, with a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour and a journey time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, it will help Thailand become a regional transportation and logistics hub.
In addition, the meeting also pointed out that the Ministry of Transport hopes that the high-speed rail project will be operational in 2028 with a total of six stations, namely Apiwa Sentral Station, Don Mueang Station, Ayutthaya Station, Saraburi Station, Pak Chong Station and Nakhon Ratchasima Station.