The construction of the central line of the Trans Asian Railway ushers in a new node. Thailand has finalized the bidding schedule for the second phase of the China Thailand High speed Railway. The huge civil engineering project is about to start. After the project is completed, it will link up with the China Laos Railway, open up the cross-border transportation channel between China, Laos and Thailand, and bring new market opportunities for infrastructure enterprises.

Accelerate the preparation for Phase II

According to Thai media reports, the Thai Ministry of Transport plans to launch a bidding process for eight civil engineering contracts for the second phase of the China Thailand high-speed railway at Nakhon Ratchasima in December. The total length of the line is 357.12 kilometers, with five stations and a total investment of approximately 341.351 billion Thai baht, equivalent to 70 billion yuan. It is planned to start construction in 2027 and be completed in 2031.

Taifang is sorting out the benchmark prices of construction supervision related documents and synchronously promoting land acquisition work. Eight civil engineering contract packages will be tendered in three batches, covering the sections from Nakhon Ratchasima to Banhai, Banhai to Slakele, and Slakele to Langkai lines, as well as the construction of the Qingranoi maintenance base. This route connects Bangkok directly to the Thailand Laos border, improves the transportation network in northeastern Thailand, and strengthens cross-border economic and trade exchanges.

Steady progress in the first phase

The cooperation committee meeting held at the same time will simultaneously verify the progress of the first phase of the project. The Nakhon Ratchasima section of Bangkok is 250.77 kilometers long, with six planned stations and a total investment of 179.41 billion Thai baht. The current overall progress has reached 55.27%. Keywords: China Thailand high-speed railway, regional interconnectivity

Out of the 14 civil engineering contracts in the project, two have been completed, ten are under construction, and two are in the procurement phase. Multiple tunnels and sections are nearing completion of construction. The approval of the contracts for the sections from Bangsu to Don Mueang and from Banpo to Pakai will be accelerated, and they will be signed as soon as possible. The Bangsu to Don Mueang section will be implemented by the State Railway of Thailand. After the completion of the whole line, the Phase I and Phase II projects will be integrated into one, linking up with the China Laos Railway, and continuing to release the economic and trade value of the Trans Asian Railway Central Line.Editor/Min Jing