A planned China-Thailand railway linking the Thai-Lao border with Bangkok will profit Thailand because the high-speed railway is anticipated to enhance living conditions for local people, the Thai transport minister said.
“We do not have high-speed rail in Thailand yet, but we anticipate that high-speed rail can change the lives of Thai people, which (has been) proven in China,” Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said in an interview with Xinhua.
He believed that when travel times from Bangkok to cities along the railway line were reduced to 1 or two hours, cities with railway stations would have an amazing opportunity to draw more people and investment attributable to the high cost of living in Bangkok.
“The economic benefits are much greater than the financial returns,” he said, adding that he had learned from China that high-speed rail had indeed helped cities attract larger populations and investment.
Arkhom also mentioned that the 873km railway line could help attract more Chinese tourists to the dominion, which might profit its tourism industry.
“The travel time from the northeastern province of Nong Khai on the Thai-Lao border to the Thai capital Bangkok might be shorter and should attract Chinese tourists who wish to travel by train,” he said.
In 2015, about 8 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, and the variety of Chinese tourists is anticipated to exceed 9 million this yr. China is currently the biggest source of tourists visiting Thailand, accounting for roughly 30 percent of all international tourists.
Lao people may find the railway a convenient mode of transportation, as one-seventh of the landlocked country’s 7 million people visit Thailand annually.
Arkhom said that after the China-Thailand railway line is connected to the China-Laos railway line, it is going to take about 4 hours to travel from the Lao capital Vientiane to Bangkok, Arkhom said, adding that train tickets between the 2 capitals will change into more competitive in comparison with aviation. .
The minister said that the railway can be expected to profit China as it will possibly thus be connected to Southeast Asia, from where Chinese goods and goods might be transported to Thai ports via Thai railways.
Meanwhile, he identified that the China-Thailand railway line, with a maximum speed of 250 km per hour, will only be used to move passengers, while cargo might be handled on the present metro railways.
The Thai government decided to divide the project into two phases and first construct a 256-kilometer railway line from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima. The remaining part will connect Nakhon Ratchasima with Nong Khai.
According to Arkhom, construction of the initial 3.5km section will begin shortly after tender in early 2017, followed by further sections of the primary phase. Design work for the second phase, from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai, may even begin early next yr.
He said the primary phase may very well be accomplished in 3 years and the whole project could take 5 years and the railway line would even be prolonged to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur and eventually to Singapore.
Arkhom said regional connectivity, as highlighted by the Belt and Road Initiative, will ultimately profit the whole region.
During the interview, Arkhom denied that China had ever asked for development rights to land along the China-Thailand railway, as local media claimed China wanted to have interaction in business development of the land.
“I think it’s clear that since we started working together, commercial development and business will be part of Thailand,” Arkhom said.
He said either the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) would consider business development in and outdoors stations and on each side of the railway line, or the state-owned railway operator could award development rights to non-public sectors through public-private cooperation.
In such a case, he explained, a Chinese company could team up with a Thai company to take part in land development.
Arkhom praised Chinese firms for his or her advanced technology, saying they will cooperate with local firms to take part in infrastructure projects.
According to the minister, Thailand will implement infrastructure programs value $65 billion over the subsequent eight years. About 10 metro lines might be inbuilt Bangkok and adjoining provinces.
He said Chinese firms can bid for the planned metro lines, but under Thai laws and regulations they have to partner with an area company to affix the bidding.
“Some Chinese companies are already doing this because we can find a Chinese company to build the Blue Line extension in Bangkok,” Arkhom said. The Chinese company can be working with Thai firms on a planned high-speed railway between Bangkok and Rayong.
http://english.cri.cn/
