The government's planning unit, the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), will hold a special meeting today to vet the controversial Sino-Thai train project amid academics' concerns about its lack of detail.
According to Porametee Vimolsiri, the secretary-general to the National Economic and Social Development Board, the meeting chaired by NESDB chairman Paron Israsena Na Ayudhya will discuss the benefits of the 179-billion baht project, including economic, investment and social returns, passenger volume and the government's future public debt burden.
Mr Porametee said public debt is unlikely to suffer from borrowings to finance the development. Public debt is expected to stay at 42-43% of gross domestic product (GDP) even after the first lot of loans worth 1.74 billion baht are secured to finance design, civil works, and advisory costs for the Chinese team.
He said the Sino-Thai rail development will be divided into two parts: civil and infrastructure works, which account for 75% of the project's investment, and the rail network and trains including signaling and operation systems, which account for rest.
The government will start with the first section, which spans 252.5-km linking Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.
The Transport Ministry expected to be able to propose the draft contract of the project for cabinet approval next month. Work is expected to start in August or September.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has recently invoked the powerful Section 44 to expedite the railway line between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. The order was aimed at clearing technical and legal hurdles for the delayed project's development.
Engineering deans from 61 universities last week called on the government to pressure China into setting up a train equipment testing facility in Thailand, on top of allowing Thais to participate in their joint rail project as engineers.
The main goal would be to transfer technology know-how so Thailand will not have to rely on Chinese expertise for maintenance after the project is complete. They say only allowing Thai engineers to participate is not enough to ensure the promised technology transfer takes place.