The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Board has approved extending three contracts under the Thai Chinese high-speed rail project by up to two years, citing difficulties from land expropriation and the relocation of oil pipelines.
The contracts are Contract 4-3 (the Nava Nakhon-Ban Pho section), Contract 4-2 (the Don Muang-Nava Nakhon section) and Contract 4-6 (the Phra Kaew-Saraburi section). Each face different challenges that have pushed back their original completion dates.
Work for Contract 4-3 was originally set at 1,080 days for completion on Jan 23, 2025. However, the completion date has now been extended by 452 days to April 20, 2026.
This is the second time this contract has been extended, following a previous adjustment of 163 days. The delays are largely attributed to the SRT's inability to deliver expropriated land to the contractor on time.
Contract 4-2, which began on Jan 20, 2022, was initially slated for completion on Jan 3, 2025. The period has now been extended by 641 days to Oct 7, 2026.
This delay was caused by the structural design, adjustments to the locations of ground columns, and a process to circumvent oil pipelines managed by BAFS Pipeline Transportation Co Ltd and Thai Petroleum Pipeline Co Ltd.
Contract 4-6 faces the most significant delay. Originally planned to be finished on Jan 3, 2025, the date has been pushed back 780 days to Feb 23, 2027.
This delay was also caused by the SRT's failure to transfer land to the contractors on time.
An SRT source said the board also agreed to review a plan for a special unit to manage high-speed rail operations between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, as per a 2017 cabinet resolution.
Instead of forming a new unit under the SRT, the agency proposes adopting a public-private partnership (PPP) model for the entire route, which runs from Bangkok to Nong Khai.
The SRT has allocated 40 million baht to retain consultancy experts to analyse the feasibility of this move, which could take six to eight months before the findings are submitted to the Transport Ministry.
The Department of Rail Transport also agreed the SRT explore the PPP model and related frameworks under the Public-Private Partnership Act BE 2562. The department said the PPP approach could help reduce the government's financial burden.
