Prajin seeks Lao deal on dual tracks

Prajin seeks Lao deal on dual tracks

Rail link to stretch as far as China

Transport Minister Prajin Juntong is to push the development of dual-track rail routes linking Bangkok, Vientiane and Kunming in talks with his Lao counterpart early next month.

ACM Prajin said on Saturday he will lead a delegation to discuss the railway project in detail during a visit to Laos from Feb 1-3.

The 1.435m standard gauge tracks will connect Bangkok with the Lao capital Vientiane, and with Kunming, the largest city in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan. ACM Prajin said the talks will “make the overview of the project clear”.

Last week, the transport ministry clinched an agreement with Chinese authorities on the construction of sections of the rail route in Thailand.

The agreement related to a 873km stretch of tracks linking Kaeng Khoi, Bangkok, Map Ta Phut and Nong Khai.

The northeastern province of Nong Khai borders Vientiane in Laos.

According to the initial deal, construction of the tracks will be divided into two phases. Work on the Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi and Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut sections is expected to start in September.

Work on the Kaeng Khoi-Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai sections is due to start early next year.

The last two sections cannot be built any sooner because the construction will cut through national parks and villages. This means transport authorities must liaise with officials in other state agencies and with villagers to manage land expropriation issues.

“We will try to reduce the impact of land expropriation by adapting track designs,” said Chaiwat Tongkamkoon, deputy chief of the Office of Transport, Traffic Policy and Planning.

The tracks will be built in parallel with existing 1m gauge lines, so the new railways can eventually accommodate faster trains, including high-speed services.

Engineers had initially planned to increase the radius of curved sections of the tracks so that trains can run safely, but this requires more land.

The office is aware of the issue and is trying to adapt rail designs by building as many straight sections of track as possible, Mr Chaiwat told a public hearing with local officials and residents in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The northeastern province of Udon Thani also hosted a public hearing on dual-track rail routes last Thursday. Four provinces in the region are set be affected by the construction. They are Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai.

The Transport Ministry is preparing its development plan for the southern rail route.

Trains will still run on the 1m gauge, but diesel locomotives will be swapped for electric models, so that the southern rail network can connect with Malaysia’s train system, ACM Prajin said.

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