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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    PM affirms Thailand to invest in first high speed train project by its own funds

    Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said Thailand will invest in the high speed railway project by its own funds with the first route starting from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima covering the distance of 250 kilometres.

    However he said this first high speed railway project will rely on the Chinese technology.

    Speaking on his “Returning Happiness to the People” programme broadcast nationwide on TV network every Friday night, Gen Prayut reiterated that the high speed train project will go ahead without the Chinese joint venture.

    He reasoned that the Chinese wanted to invest in the project under the concession model but this was not accepted by Thailand.

    There was no granting of concession to any investors as Thailand considered that under such busin SS model, Thailand would be disadvantaged, he said and added that therefore Thailand will invest by its own funds as ” we have potential to invest in this project.”

    However the high speed train project would be scaled down to only one route first from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima covering about 250 kilometres.

    But he assured that the route will be later extended to cover all parts of the country.

    He also said although Thailand will invest by itself but it will need the Chinese technology, expertise and know-how to run the high speed train project in the initial stage.

    PM affirms Thailand to invest in first high speed train project by its own funds - Thai PBS English News

  2. #2
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  3. #3
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Thailand Calls Off Deal for China to Finance Railway

    BANGKOK—Thailand will no longer seek China’s financial backing for a high-speed rail line connecting Bangkok to the provincial hub of Nakhon Ratchasima, opting to finance the project on its own, its transport minister said Friday.

    Thailand has been struggling to secure what it considers a satisfactory financing deal from Beijing for the 250 kilometer (155 mile) rail line, seen as part of a broader network running from southern China through Laos, and south through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore.

    The main bone of contention was the interest rate at which China was offering to finance the deal, along with the total investment cost. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said at a news conference that since the approximately $5 billion project is a venture between governments, China should have offered a loan at what he described as a “friendly rate that takes into consideration relations between China and Thailand.”

    Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said earlier this week during a visit to China that Thailand would finance the project itself after failing to agree on terms with Beijing. Gen. Prayuth said on Thursday evening that he had informed China’s Premier Li Keqiang of Thailand’s decision, and that Beijing had accepted Thailand’s decision.

    Since a military coup in 2014, Thailand’s military-installed junta has been trying to develop stronger relations with China after the U.S. and European countries criticized the putsch. Among other things, Thailand in 2015 returned to China around 100 ethnic-Uighur Muslim refugees from Xinjiang in western China who were attempting to make their way to Malaysia and then on to Turkey.

    The construction of the train line now won’t begin until the end of the year, Mr. Arkhom said, several months later than the planned launch of the project in May.

    He said Thailand still plans to work with China on construction of the line, which is part of a longer 873 kilometer rail link from the Thai industrial seaport of Laem Chabang to Thailand’s border with Laos. He said Thailand still plans to obtain Chinese-made trains and will contract Chinese engineers to build the line.

    Mr. Arkhom and China are now discussing the cost of the line to Nakhon Ratchasima. Thailand wants to limit the budget to 170 billion baht ($4.81 billion), while China has suggested the final outlay would be 190 billion baht.

    Thailand Calls Off Deal for China to Finance Railway - WSJ

  4. #4
    Being chased by sloths DJ Pat's Avatar
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    I saw the so-called works in progress to widen the lines from Pattaya to Bangkok, back in 2005. It looked like it was going ok, with ballast in place along parts of the route. Wasn't it going to be the high speed link from Bangkok?

    Has this now been abandoned?

    I saw that it's still the same one train a day at 6.55am from Bangkok and the same one back at 2.15, still at the princely sum of 31 Baht 3rd class.

    Progress indeed. Maybe they were terrified that the Chinese would keep track of the funds a bit too closely.

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