Thailand’s state railway to construct three new double-track routes

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is advancing with plans to construct three double-track railroad routes that will span a total of 634 kilometres.

The project, which will require a combined investment of 113.14 billion baht, has been approved by the SRT board and is due to be submitted to the Transport Ministry later this month.

SRT governor Nirut Maneepan announced the three projected routes, which form part of the second phase of the double-track rail network. These include the 281-kilometre Pak Nam Pho-Denchai route, with an estimated cost of 81.14 billion baht, the 308-kilometre Jira Junction-Ubon Ratchathani route (44.1 billion baht), and the 45-kilometre Hat Yai-Padang Besar route, costing 7.9 billion baht.

Nirut confirmed that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports, crucial for the construction works, have been approved by the National Environment Board. These projects can be launched as soon as they receive Cabinet approval. The EIA reports, cleared a few years prior, remain valid and are yet to expire.

The Pak Nam Pho-Denchai route, as detailed by the SRT governor, will consist of a 235-kilometre ground level section, a 40-kilometre elevated section, and a 5.22-kilometre tunnel. It will include 36 stations and three container yards (CY), with approximately 1,089 rai of land set to be expropriated for construction.

The Jira Junction-Ubon Ratchathani route will feature a 292.6-kilometre ground level section and three elevated sections covering 15 kilometres, with a total of 35 stations. Infrastructure such as overpasses, underpasses, and wildlife crossings will be introduced to minimize disruption to local communities, with about 43 rai of land to be expropriated for the project.

The Hat Yai-Padang Besar route will include a 44.5-kilometre ground level section and two elevated sections spanning 4.6 kilometres, with a total of three stations. About 21 rai of land will be expropriated for this project, reported Bangkok Post.

According to Nirut, the second phase project will comprise seven routes in total. The first of these, the 167-kilometre Khon Kaen-Nong Khai route, has already been approved by the Cabinet and cost 29.74 billion baht. The drafting of the terms of reference (ToR) is expected to be completed next month. The remaining projects, worth 149.59 billion baht, include the 168-kilometre Chumphon-Surat Thani route, the 324-kilometre Surat Thani-Hat Yai-Songkhla route, and the 189-kilometre Denchai-Chiang Mai route.