The Transport Ministry has agreed to cut the cost of the Thai-Chinese railway project by 160 billion baht from 500 billion baht originally, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says.
The minister also denied a rumour the Thai-Chinese rail project will be scrapped.
The minister said that to save money, the government will delay construction of the Kaeng Khoi (Saraburi)-Map Ta Phut (Rayong) section and also change from a dual-track railway to a single track for the Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai section as proposed by Chinese officials.
Mr Arkhom said the Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut route was unnecessary at this stage while the change to a single-track rail route for the Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai section was made because the volume of freight transport is minimal.
As far as possible, construction materials will also be sought from within Thailand to cut costs, he added.
Mr Arkhom said the original project cost of 500 billion baht for the project was relatively high. Therefore, the railway sections considered to be important will be built first to save money.
He said the government will proceed with the construction of the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai route as it was a worthwhile investment.
The Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section will be a dual-track railway while the Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai section will be a single-track route.
For the Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut section, the government will not rush the investment.
However, a study of the project details will be conducted in preparation for its future construction.