The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has changed the initial design of a section of the Thailand-China high-speed rail (HSR) project, leading to an increase in construction cost by an additional THB4.7 billion. This move is also expected to delay the project by about 28 months to 2026.
The Ban Mai sub-district section, a part of the Kok Kruad-Nakhon Ratchasima link, will now be constructed as a 7.85 km elevated section instead of a ground-level track.
Phase 1 of the project spans 250.77 km connecting Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima is currently under construction, with works around 15 per cent complete. The route comprises 188.68 km of elevated track, 54.09 km of ground-level track and 8 km of tunnels and is expected to be developed at an investment of THB170 billion.
The Government of Thailand is covering the full construction costs of the first phase of the project, while the Government of China is handling the system installation, design, and procurement of the trains.
