Full steam ahead for the Thai high-speed railway

PHOTO: CRRC Corporation

“CRRC has also provided subways and high-speed trains for the US, Argentina, Brazil and Singapore.”

Imagine getting on a train in Bangkok and being in Nakhon Ratchasima, in Thailand’s central north-east, within an hour. That’s what will happen when the first of the Thai/Chinese joint venture high-speed trains are launched. The construction for the Bangkok/Nakon Ratchasima link was started in December last year.

Bangkok Post is reporting that the high-speed technology is worth closer examination because a Chinese company is building Thailand’s first high-speed railway network and station. The investment from China, into high-speed rail links into Thailand and other local regions, is part of the Belt & Road Initiative, an ambitious large-scale investment into pan-asian infrastructure.

CRRC, a Chinese state-owned enterprise and one of the largest rolling stock manufacturers in the world, will supply the railway technology. The first phase from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima got under way in December 2017. Currently, the bidding for 13 remaining contracts is ongoing. Thailand’s first high speed train is tentatively set for a start in 2023.

Read the rest of the story from Bangkok Post HERE.