Thai High Speed Rail Deal Bidding ahead for 2014

International bidding for Thailand ‘s procurement of high-speed trains to carry passengers and cargoes will likely be held Q32014, according to Chatchart Sitthipun, Transport Minister.

The bidding to win the Thai high-speed train project would likely be held from Q3 2014 to 2017 while the construction of the railways and the procurement of those trains are scheduled to be completed within 2020, according to the minister.

For the time being, environmental impact assessments are yet to be finished, regarding the planned routes for the high-speed trains with a main station in Bangkok.

Those routes include Bangkok – Pitsanuloak, which will be extended to Chiang Mai City, viewed as the country’s northern logistical hub and tourist destination hub;

Bangkok – Nakorn Ratchasima, which will be extended to Nong Khai province, viewed as a gateway to the Lao capital of Vientiane;

Bangkok – Rayong, the country’s eastern seaboard industrial hub and deep-sea port;

Bangkok – Hua Hin, viewed as a flourishing tourist destination and gateway to the southern region.

Chatchart said he will leave for Kunming city in southern China some time next month to discuss the US$4.9 billion high-speed rail project with senior Chinese government officials. He did not go into details.

He confirmed that the Chinese have planned to run high-speed trains laden with tourists and merchandise from Kunming to Nong Khai, across the international Mekong River from Vientiane.