Report Ayutthaya High-Speed Rail Station Plans Threaten World Heritage Status

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UNESCO experts examining the Ayutthaya site | Photo via pr.railway/Facebook

 

Plans for a high-speed rail station in Ayutthaya have raised concerns about potential threats to the city's UNESCO World Heritage status. The Ayutthaya Historical Park, a World Heritage Site since 1991, sits close to the proposed location of the new Ayutthaya station, part of the expansive Thailand-Laos-China railway project. This has led to fears about possible visual and structural impacts on the ancient ruins.

 

Veeris Ammarapala, Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), stated that a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) was conducted by experts from the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). These organisations, acting as advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee, evaluated the site in January.

 

Their report ruled out rerouting the rail line around Ayutthaya, but suggested modifications to the track height and station design to ensure minimal visibility from within the historical park. To mitigate impacts, the panel recommended collaboration among key agencies, including the Department of Rail Transport, the Fine Arts Department, and tourism officials, to address both indirect and long-term implications.

 

Proposed strategies include coordinated urban planning around the station and infrastructure enhancements to align with anticipated tourism growth. This would involve improving transport links between the new rail station and key historic sites, and potentially restricting access to sensitive areas of the heritage site to manage tourist traffic properly.

 

Efforts to minimise disruption to Ayutthaya while facilitating modern infrastructure developments highlight the delicate balance between preservation and progress.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-19