The 215 billion baht (US$6.48 billion) railway project will link Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan and U-tapao airport in Rayong as part of plans to develop the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced plans to open services for the 193-kilometre Bangkok-Rayong high-speed Thai-Japanese railway in 2023, with construction for the high-speed segment expected to begin next year, the Bangkok Post reported.
The 215 billion baht (US$6.48 billion) railway project will link Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan and U-tapao airport in Rayong as part of plans to develop the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
The high-speed trains are set to run at 250km per hour, with ticket prices starting at 20 baht and adding 1.80 baht per kilometre, said Chulathep Chittasombat, director of the centre that oversees railway maintenance projects under the SRT.
In addition to the high-speed rail service, the railway project will also offer a City Line service which will ply the same route with stops between cities, and a second City Line route to shuttle passengers from Don Mueang to Suvarnabhumi.
Ticket prices for the City Line route will begin at 13 baht with add-ons of two baht per km.
All three services will pass through Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao and Chon Buri, and will terminate at Rayong.
Extensions will be built to connect Bangkok’s current Airport Link lines to the new railway from Phaya Thai-Don Mueang and Lat Krabang-Rayong.