Thailand to seek private sector partners for new railway projects

News in Asia
Thailand to seek private sector partners for new railway projects

A senior Thai government official says two new rail projects will be offered up for private sector participation. Somkid Jatusripitak is the deputy-prime-minister and he says the projects are set to be included in the government’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.

He continued by saying he had already told the State Enterprise Office’s policy committee to expedite the matter so the two developments get fast-tracked. The new lines in question are both from Bangkok and will connect to Hua Hin and Rayong.

The lines will both be built to accommodate high-speed trains. In the case of the tracks to Hua Hin, they will run parallel with existing ones. The deputy PM explained that inviting private sector developers to collaborate on state projects always meant they got finished more quickly. 

He noted that five transport infrastructure improvements with PPP collaboration were currently in progress. Dr Jatusripitak said the only thing left to make a final decision on in relation to PPP in the railway projects was the level of cooperation.

He finished off by saying it would be left to the Transport Ministry to decide whether the private sector would invest in the lines and the requisite infrastructure, in rolling stock or in operating trains. Buying tickets for train services in Thailand is easy when you choose 12GO ASIA.

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