The deadline for completing the long-delayed first phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail line from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima has been extended by another year.
The board of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) on Wednesday approved the 350-day extension after reviewing progress on the Khok Kruat–Nakhon Ratchasima section. The existing contract called for the work to be completed by March 25 of this year. The new deadline is March 10, 2026, SRT governor Weeris Amrapal said.
Construction was held up as the SRT faced a delay in handing over the land, because of an expropriation dispute with the tenants of a building on the site, he said.
Getting the dispute resolved in court took time, he said, adding that a settlement was eventually reached. The SRT should now be able to hand the land over to the contractor by no later than May 13, said Mr Weeris.
In January, the government said that the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail line, connecting to China’s high-speed rail network via Laos, would be operational by 2030.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held in December 2017. But as of January this year, construction of the first-phase section was only 36% complete, several years behind schedule. The second phase, from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai, has yet to begin.
Delays have been caused by disputes with China over financing, problems with contractors facing liquidity problems, the pandemic, as well as a controversy surrounding the construction of the Ayutthaya station, which conservationists said could affect a Unesco World Heritage site.