Thai Cabinet Greenlights First-Phase Design Contract for China-Thailand Railway Project
Xu Wei
DATE:  Aug 23 2017
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Thai Cabinet Greenlights First-Phase Design Contract for China-Thailand Railway Project Thai Cabinet Greenlights First-Phase Design Contract for China-Thailand Railway Project

(Yicai Global) Aug. 23 -- Thailand's cabinet has approved the rail design contract for the first phase (Bangkok to Kele section) of the China-Thailand Railway project yesterday, laying the groundwork for the project's successful implementation, Economic Information Daily, a newspaper under the aegis of China's state-owned Xinhua news agency.

The Thai cabinet held a meeting on the theme in Kele yesterday. The total design cost for the first phase is about USD51 million (THB1.7 billion), said Kobsak Pootrakul, an official with the prime minister's office, at a post-meeting press briefing. The Thai government will engage Chinese companies to design viaducts, ground sections, tunnels and construction facilities, he noted.

The approval of the design contract signals new progress in the project, he continued, adding that the teams will proceed to make arrangements regarding the construction supervision contract and contracts for rail, electricity, vehicle and staff training operations, and that a dedicated department will be set up to ensure smooth project implementation as scheduled.

The two countries have concluded negotiations on the first-phase design contract for the transnational railway project, the Chines embassy in Thailand previously announced, and both sides are stepping up efforts to sign the contract in early September and break ground in October. 

China-Thailand Railway is Thailand's first high-speed rail with standard-gauge tracks. The first phase is about 253 kilometers long, and the maximum design speed is 250 kilometers an hour.

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Keywords:   THAILAND,Sino-Thai Railway,B&R