High-speed rail deadline extended by another year

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In: South-East Asia

State Railway claims that an eviction stymied the contractor’s ability to transfer area.

PUBLISHED: 6 Mar 2025 at 16: 37

A Fuxing Hao CR300 train made by CRRC Corp, the Chinese state-owned company that is the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment, is expected to be used on the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed line. (Photo supplied)
On the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed collection, a Fuxing Hao CR300 coach made by CRRC Corp, the state-owned business that is the largest supplier of road travel equipment in the world, is anticipated to be used. ( Photo provided )

The timeframe for finishing the long-awaited initial phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail range from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima has been increased by another time.

After reviewing progress on the Khok Kruat–Nakhon Ratchasima section, the board of the State Railway of Thailand ( SRT ) on Wednesday approved the 350-day extension. By March 25 of this year, the job was anticipated to become finished, according to the existing contract. According to SRT government Weeris Amrapal, the fresh deadline is March 10, 2026.

Due to an eviction dispute with the tenants of a tower on the site, he claimed, construction was put off as the SRT was unable to hand over the property.

He claimed that getting the debate settled in court took time, adding that a settlement was finally reached. According to Mr. Weeris, the SRT should now be able to turn the property over to the company by May 13.

By 2030, the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail line, which connects China’s high-speed road network via Laos, will be operating, according to the government’s announcement in January.

The project’s pioneering ceremony took place in December 2017. However, the first-phase section’s development as of January this year was just 36 % finished, some years behind schedule. The second phase, which will travel from Nong Khai to Nakhon Ratchasima, has not yet begun.

Due to disagreements over funding, contractors having cash issues, the pandemic, and a controversy surrounding the Ayutthaya station’s construction, which conservationists claimed could have an impact on a Unesco World Heritage site, there have been delays.