The government of Thailand has laid out a plan to build a rail network linking the country to its neighbors. Thailand has already begun the construction of some routes and will keep calling bids for the project. The goal is to allow high-speed travel from Bangkok to Beijing and Singapore, creating a “Trans-ASEAN Line”.
Thailand is putting high-speed trains at the heart of its new Infrastructure system, which will cover 3,193 kilometers at a cost of about USD 67.3 billion.
The first route, a Thai-Sino project linking Bangkok and Nong Khai in the Northeast, is now under construction and scheduled to be completed by 2023. The 608-km line will serve as the main transport system to Laos, which is next to Nong Khai.
From the border line, another rail route will run to the Lao capital of Vientiane, and the last segment will take passengers to Mohan, a border town in Yunnan Province, in China. Bangkok Post reported that the 414 km line between Vientiane and Mohan is around 55% complete.
The Thai government is also planning to link Nong Khai with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), which aims to make the 3 eastern provinces namely Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong, into a hub for smart industrial production.
(Sources: Bangkok Post; The Edge Markets; Today Online)
