The Nong Khai-Vientiane section of the Thai-China high-speed rail (HSR) project is expected to be completed in 2028, according to Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote yesterday.
Mr Surapong said the project's committee has agreed to expedite work on the 7.3-kilometre section, which is estimated to cost around three billion baht. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has commissioned a feasibility study on the project, he added.
The SRT will pick the final design next year, and the bidding process for the project will begin in 2025, he said.
The Thai section of the Thai-China HSR project will span 606 kilometres, connecting Nong Khai and Bangkok.
The first phase of the project, which is 28.6% completed, will see 253 kilometres of tracks laid out between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima at a cost of 179 billion baht.
According to the official timeline, the project should have progressed to about 50%, but delays caused by land expropriation problems have slowed down the construction.
The ministry is also waiting for the result of the assessment regarding the project's impact on the World Heritage sites, which is required by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, he said.
Meanwhile, the feasibility study on the section between Nakhon Ratchasima and Nong Khai has been completed. The ministry is still waiting for the SRT to submit the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project, he said. Once the sections are completed, it will help speed up cargo and passenger movements between Thailand and China.