BANGKOK
- Thailand’s plans for a new US$7.4 billion high-speed rail link from Bangkok
to Pattaya has been flagged off after the Thai government signed a construction
agreement with a consortium that includes China Railway Construction
Corporation.
Financing
will involve both public and private sectors in a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen
Pokphand (CP) Group.
Reuters
reports that Japanese banks have also agreed to provide part of the financing
for the link, which will span 220 kms and is scheduled to start operating in
2023.
State Railways of Thailand has said that
passengers on a high-speed train will be able to get from downtown Bangkok to
Pattaya in under three quarters of an hour. With top speeds of 250 kmph that
will mean Bangkok to Pattaya will be even quicker than that.
The nine station 220 km route will link three
airports across nine stations. It will originate at Don Muang airport and pass
through Suvarnabhumi Airport to the U-Tapao airport destination.
Thailand’s new station at Bang Sue, which will
be the largest in Southeast Asia when it is expected to open next year will
become the central hub for Thailand’s high-speed rail link.