China to Build Thailand High Speed Rail

Posted by on Dec 5, 2014 in Blog | 0 comments

Updating previous posts on China’s HSR diplomacy, Thailand’s parliament has just approved a MoU for China to build a 867 km line linking Nong Khai in the north to Bangkok and other cities in the south close to the Gulf of Thailand.

Since the route starts in Nong Khai bordering Laos where Laotian capital Vientiane sits across the Mekong River and the Chinese are building a major rail link to and in Laos, it most likely will serve as the second phase of the HSR line from China through Indochina to eventually connect with Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and ultimately Singapore.  The People’s Daily Online reports the Chinese government expects the railway to be put into operation by 2020 which will shorten travel time between Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, and Singapore to less than 14 hours.

Phase I of the overall route began construction last April.  It passes through Mohan, a border town with Laos and Wangrong, a popular Chinese tourist city, and ends in Vientiane.  Construction of a railway logistics center in Mohan has already begun.

According to the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network (TARN), the Kunming-Singapore HSR line totaling 3,900 kilometers will serve as the central line of the southeast section of TARN . Once TARN is fully completed, Vietnam and Cambodia will also be linked with Thailand and Myanmar to form a regional hub centering on the Mekong River Basin where some 300 million people reside.

 

Thai National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday approved a draft memorandum of understanding to be signed with China for the development of a dual-track railway system.

Transport Minister Prajin Juntong sought approval for the MoU with China to build a double-track standard-gauge railway covering the 734-kilometre route linking Nong Khai, Khaeng Koi and Map Ta Phut and the 133km Khaeng Koi-Bangkok route. The cost of the project has not yet been evaluated.

The deal on the railway project was made last month when Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha visited China to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. The junta had mapped out a strategic plan for land transport in July, and Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan together with Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and junta adviser Somkid Jatusripitak visited China in October to pave the way for this deal.

The interim Constitution’s Article 23 says NLA approval is required for any agreement with a foreign country that might have implications on economic development. The NLA endorsed the MoU draft with 187 votes, while seven abstained. The MoU will be effective for five years after being signed, indicating that China will be responsible for construction and will develop the railway project. China will also conduct a feasibility study and prepare the project, Prajin said. The government wants the construction to begin by 2016, he said.

– The Nation (Thailand)