Thailand Poised for High-Speed Rail Revolution Linking Three Airports

[snoop1130]

Picture courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Thailand's grand vision of connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports via high-speed rail is edging closer to reality. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board is primed for final approvals, with hopes pinned on a Cabinet green light by May.

 

SRT Deputy Governor Anan Phonimdang announced that revamped contract details have already cleared dedicated subcommittees. Awaiting the SRT board's endorsement, the contract will then transit to the Office of the Attorney-General before seeking the Cabinet's final sign-off.

 

Upon approval, Asia Era One, a subsidiary of the Charoen Pokphand Group, stands ready to receive a Notice to Proceed by May, aiming to commence construction as early as June. Initial works will focus on areas around U-Tapao Airport's secondary runway and the bustling Bang Sue–Don Mueang corridor, a critical touchpoint overlapping with the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project.

 

 

Strategically using precast rail segments, offsite manufacturing will expedite onsite assembly, minimising disruption. The new line will share tracks with the existing Airport Rail Link (ARL) between Phaya Thai station and Suvarnabhumi, setting the stage for a transformative travel upgrade.

 

While the CP Group deliberates on train models, opting for wider models may necessitate platform enhancements to align with current infrastructure. Spanning nine stations across five provinces, this ambitious 220-kilometre, 271 billion baht project promises future riders rapid commutes under one hour, with trains whizzing at speeds up to 250 km/h.

 

As anticipation builds, this high-speed connection is set to be a game-changer for Thai transport, significantly bolstering connectivity and economic growth in the region, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-11

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

35 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

this ambitious 220-kilometre, 271 billion baht project promises

 

Lots of fat, brown envelopes.

[it is what it is]

cool

[Purdey]

Great. Another discussion. Another "ambitious" project. A bridge too far maybe. Will Hopewell come back to haunt us?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

"Poised" is the eternal, hopeful, vague term used for high-speed rail in Thailand.

 

Worth noting, nowhere in the OP article does it make any mention of when this supposed project might actually be completed.

 

[ikke1959]

available in 2075

[NoDisplayName]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

this ambitious 220-kilometre, 271 billion baht project promises future riders rapid commutes under one hour, with trains whizzing at speeds up to 250 km/h.

 

Projected cost is 271 billion, which is ~$8 BILLION, assuming no cost overruns or delays or "enhancements" to the project.  And that's with 40km Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi already built, approximately 20% of the total length.

 

Consider the Chinese built the Kunming-Vientiene high speed rail, 1000-km, thru mountains, with hundreds of kilometers of bridges and tunnels, ahead of schedule and within the $6 Billion budget.

 

As to high-speed.........................short answer, no.  There might be a few short stretches where the trains can pick up speed out in the rice fields, but thru any built up areas, speeds drop to 80-90 kmh max.

 

Article reminds me of magazine articles in the fitties promising household nukular reactors, flying cars and robot maids.

 

[bkk6060]

10 years +

[connda]

Thailand Poised for High-Speed Rail Revolution Linking Three Airports

 

...by 2075.

[josephbloggs]

3 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Lots of fat, brown envelopes.

First reply is the most boring predictable AN cliche. Why bother?

[connda]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

available in 2075

Beat me to it! 

[redwood1]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

10 years +

 

Considering how very slow major projects are built in Thailand...I think 10 years is way to optimistic.......I just cant see it up and running any sooner than 15 years....So opening day should be around 2040....That is if they ever start building.........But a 2045 opening would not surprise me at all......

[NoDisplayName]

Not so fast!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The 276.5-billion-baht project, now fully prepared for construction, awaits Cabinet approval and is expected to launch soon. Completion is targeted for 2029.

 

The high-speed rail project connecting Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and U-Tapao airports in Thailand, worth 276.5 billion baht, is currently on hold awaiting the appointment of a new chairman for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Policy Committee.

The Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) has announced that this appointment, which requires approval from the yet-to-be-formed new Cabinet, is expected within the year.

 

don't know if i can post a link to thaitimes, so googles it.

 

first we need a new cabinet.

maybe in a year.

has to approve a new committee chairman.

and then the committee can maybe approve the project.

 

and din't i read on this very forum a couple days ago that construction in pattaya on the line, or at least the access road to where the line will be built someday, has been stopped?

 

 

[JoseThailand]

What's the point? Getting between DMK and BKK takes less than an hour via the expressway.

[watchcat]

3 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

What's the point? Getting between DMK and BKK takes less than an hour via the expressway.

 

Nothing really except prestige.

[pegman]

5 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

What's the point? Getting between DMK and BKK takes less than an hour via the expressway.

Have you checked the air quality in Bangkok????? 

[JoseThailand]

22 minutes ago, pegman said:

Have you checked the air quality in Bangkok????? 

 

With the new revolutionary inter-airport train it will be better?

[Venom]

Thailand poised for high-speed money laundering operation. 🤑 

[NoMoonLogistics]

11 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

First reply is the most boring predictable AN cliche. Why bother?

Yep, as a newcomer to AN i am amazed at the absolute contempt the majority of expats on this channel seem to hold for the country they have chosen to live in. 

The biggest bunch of entittled, ill natured, whinging, cynical old sad sacks i have ever met in my life.

Pathetic.

My admiration for the (relatively) few positive poeple here who stick with it. I doubt that i will.

 

I am after positivity, useful information and stories about how to carve out a bloody good life.  Yeah, and the occasional good argument /punch-up too.

 - but certainly not reading about enduring a mental-pox filled existence in a country most poeple here seem to despise.

Thanks Joe, your post is encouraging in a roundabout way.

[JimHuaHin]

13 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

available in 2075

That is what I call optimism 🙂

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The new line will share tracks with the existing Airport Rail Link (ARL) between Phaya Thai station and Suvarnabhumi, setting the stage for a transformative travel upgrade.

And peeing off the rip-off airport taxis.... land/depart just jump on a train...

[JoePai]

13 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

And peeing off the rip-off airport taxis.... land/depart just jump on a train...

Expect they will be gathering their pensions by the time it's finished

[khunjeff]

This is the project that was "just one step away from a Cabinet decision" in February 2018...

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailand-approves-high-speed-rail-link-connecting-three-international-airports

 

...and for which CP already signed a contract in October 2019...

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1779144/cp-led-consortium-signs-three-airports-train-contract

 

...so please forgive me if I don't rush out to buy my tickets just yet.

[kingstonkid]

Is it that time of year already

 

Time for the annual reprt LOL

[Homburg]

15 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Lots of fat, brown envelopes.

 

 

There will no doubt be a lot of the "financial leakage" to which you allude, but such "leakage" helps to ensure that these major infrastructure projects do go ahead and Thailand benefits as a result.

 

30 years ago No swampy, No skytrain, No subway, No Airport Rail Link, Etc.

 

Thailand is moving forward!

 

 

 

[statman78]

38 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

This is the project that was "just one step away from a Cabinet decision" in February 2018...

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailand-approves-high-speed-rail-link-connecting-three-international-airports

 

...and for which CP already signed a contract in October 2019...

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1779144/cp-led-consortium-signs-three-airports-train-contract

 

...so please forgive me if I don't rush out to buy my tickets just yet.

khunjeff,

 

Thanks for the info.  You beat me to it.  I’ve been coming to Thailand for many years and moved here permanently in 2018 when I retired.  As long as I can remember, there has been plans to do this.

[Tropicalevo]

1 minute ago, Homburg said:

 

 

There will no doubt be a lot of the "financial leakage" to which you allude, but such "leakage" helps to ensure that these major infrastructure projects do go ahead and Thailand benefits as a result.

 

30 years ago No swampy, No skytrain, No subway, No Airport Rail Link, Etc.

 

Thailand is moving forward!

 

 

 

 

Thailand is not moving forward for the majority of the Thais who live in poverty (or near poverty) at the bottom of the food chain.

The majority of these 'major infrastructure projects' tend to only help those with money, or those in Bangkok.

The population of Bangkok is projected to increase to just over 11 million people this year.

The population of Thailand is estimated at 77.1 million people.

Bangkok is not Thailand, but it is the only bit that the politicians look after.

[Andycoops]

555, they've been saying that for more than 10 years...

[DaveInSukhumvit]

2 hours ago, NoMoonLogistics said:

Yep, as a newcomer to AN i am amazed at the absolute contempt the majority of expats on this channel seem to hold for the country they have chosen to live in. 

The biggest bunch of entittled, ill natured, whinging, cynical old sad sacks i have ever met in my life.

Pathetic.

My admiration for the (relatively) few positive poeple here who stick with it. I doubt that i will.

 

I am after positivity, useful information and stories about how to carve out a bloody good life.  Yeah, and the occasional good argument /punch-up too.

 - but certainly not reading about enduring a mental-pox filled existence in a country most poeple here seem to despise.

Thanks Joe, your post is encouraging in a roundabout way.

I thought the same thing years ago, but then I got used to it.  There are plenty of positive expats expats around and funny stories to share.  AN presents a different perspective than the popular news, sometimes accurate, sometimes not.  Enjoy your stay.

[Grusa]

There will be colonies of humans on the moon and Mars before there are 250 kph trains here. And I will probably not be alive to see either.