The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board has approved the second phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed train project from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai with a total investment of 341.35 billion baht.
SRT governor Nirut Maneepan said the project's second phase was approved during a board meeting presided over by Chirute Visalachitra, deputy director-general of the Department of Land Transport (DLT), on Thursday.
The project is the result of a partnership between the governments of Thailand and China. It will build a rail system linking Bangkok and Nong Khai over a distance of 607km. The second phase will stretch 357.12 kilometres from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai.
The route is divided into two parts, comprising a 202.48-kilometre elevated structure and 154.64-kilometre ground-level railway. There will be five stations along the route: Bua Yai, Ban Phai, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai.
The SRT now will submit the project to the Transport Ministry, which will present it to the cabinet for approval this year.
The project's civil engineering work is expected to take four years while construction of the electric rail system will take five and a half years. The train service will come into operation in 2031, he said.
As of now, the civil engineering design work for the project's second phase has been completed. Its environmental impact assessment (EIA) report was approved by an Environmental Impact Assessment Division committee on Feb 16.
Mr Nirut said the SRT's board also approved the idea of allowing a company to invest in the Natha cross dock in Nong Khai, which is part of the train project's second phase.