Thai officials say they’re ready to go on the last portion of a planned high-speed rail line that will run from Bangkok to northeast Thailand, where it will meet the Laos portion of the route that ends at Kunming, China.
The rail plan, underway since 2017 coordinates with China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative to improve its regional and world transport connections. Thailand sees the line as a way to make Thailand the logistics center of the region, centered between China and Singapore.
The 378-mile Thai portion, being built at a cost of about $12.9 billion, uses Chinese technology for construction and trains, but is entirely financed by Thailand. The first phase, heading north from Bangkok is 36% complete and could see operations by 2027; the remaining portion to the border has completed design work and only needs cabinet approval before contracts are awarded.
Bangkok’s developing rail connection to China could give new life to two other projects that have long been discussed but dormant in neighboring Malaysia: high-speed routes between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, and between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Image: Chinese bullet train of the type ordered for Thailand’s high-speed line
