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December 21, 2015

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Home » Business » Transport

China, Thailand launch railway link

Source: Xinhua | December 21, 2015, Monday | Print Edition

CHINA and Thailand have launched a railway cooperation project, which is seen as a milestone in bilateral cooperation.

The project, Thailand’s first standard-gauge double-track railway line, was launched on Saturday at Chiang Rak Noi station in Thailand’s central Ayutthaya province, where the project’s operations center will be located.

The 845-kilometer line, which is divided into four sections, will pass through 10 Thai provinces. It will use 1.435-meter standard gauge with trains operating at top speeds of 180kph.

Thailand-China cooperation in railway development will help Thailand to make better use of its geographic advantages as a land transport hub, create jobs, cut transport costs and promote economic growth, Wutthichart Kalayanamitr, the governor of State Railways of Thailand, said at the launch ceremony.

China’s state councilor Wang Yong attended the event alongside Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Jantong.

Prajin said the project was “a good start” to the two countries’ cooperation in transport.

Thailand’s rail network spans just over 4,000km, including 3,685 single-track lines. Between next year and 2021, the new project will involve the development of all kinds of railway schemes, including double-track lines.

The Strategic Framework for Development of Thailand’s Transportation Infrastructure 2015-22, which was formulated by the Ministry of Transport, seeks to build a rapid and efficient railway network so as to achieve better connectivity between Thailand and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, reinforce Thailand’s position as a regional hub and seek more development opportunities.

It was under the deal that Thailand and China signed an agreement on railway cooperation in December last year.

The Thai government supports the project and wishes it to be quickly implemented, said Thailand’s Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.

The Thailand-China project will not only be an important section of the Kunming-Singapore Railway, but also part of the preparations for ASEAN economic integration and a bridge that connects economies and peoples, he said.

The project will use China’s technology, standards and equipment, with Thailand responsible for civil works, power supply engineering, and some of the construction materials.

China will undertake construction when it comes to tunnels, certain bridges and mountainous terrain, as well as track engineering, signaling and communication systems, traction power supply system and control system.

Relying on its own experience in railway construction and advanced technologies, China will help Thailand cultivate technical and management personnel, and enhance its capabilities for pursuing further railway development, said Wang Xiaotao, deputy head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

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