13-10-2023 (BANGKOK) Bangkok’s State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is set to request cabinet approval for funding the second phase of double-track upgrades between Khon Kaen and Nong Khai. According to Pichet Kunathammarak, the director-general of the Department of Rail Transport, the proposal will be presented to the cabinet next week, along with input from the Budget Bureau and the National Economics and Social Development Council (NESDC).
The construction and investment plans for the second phase, estimated to cost 29.7 billion baht, will be submitted on Monday. The SRT will seek permission to borrow the necessary funds to upgrade 167 kilometers of track between Khon Kaen and Nong Khai. The loan will be repaid through the government’s annual budget, administered by the Budget Bureau.
Pichet stated that the cabinet will also be asked to authorize land expropriation to facilitate the construction. If approved on Monday, the process is expected to be completed by June of next year. Contractors will be invited to bid online for the project, which is projected to take three years to finish. Construction is scheduled to commence in May 2022.
The purpose of the double-track upgrades is to enhance connectivity to the northeastern region and beyond. The upgraded tracks will run parallel to Thailand’s first high-speed rail (HSR) line, initially linking Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.
Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote confirmed that the first phase of the Northeastern HSR will be finalized by the end of this year. The line will also be integrated with the planned HSR link to the three main airports in Greater Bangkok: Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao.
In addition, plans to upgrade a 45-kilometer stretch of track between Hat Yai district in Songkhla and Padang Besar in Malaysia will be expedited. The project, estimated to cost around 7.86 billion baht, was originally scheduled for 2029. However, the government aims to promote and facilitate cross-border trade by developing the region’s transportation infrastructure.
Transport officials have been instructed to submit their proposal for the Hat Yai-Padang Besar double-track upgrade to the SRT board by next week. It will be reviewed by the cabinet in November.
