State Railway of Thailand (SRT) held a public hearing in Nakhon Ratchasima in December 2020 for the second phase of the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed railway project, reports Bangkok Post. The 356km route goes from Nakhon Ratchasima (aka Korat) to Nong Khai, the second phase will follow the first Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima line - the 253-km rail route now under construction. The hearing was told that 185km of the route would be built at ground level and 171km would be elevated. 120 railway bridges over major highways, 25 vehicle bridges over major roads, 23 U-turn bridges for small roads with low traffic volume and 84 underpasses in the countryside are planned. There will be five station planning to build five stations: Bua Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima, Ban Phai in Maha Sarakham and three others in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai as well as a cargo and container yard in Na Tha near Nong Khai. SRT expects to begin construction in 2022 and have the second phase completed by 2029, at a total cost of 250 billion baht. The train will be capable of speeds up to 250kph.
End of Dece,ber 2020 it was announced, that state owned China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) has won a $415m contract to build a 40km segment of the China-Thailand high-speed railway linking Bangkok to Thailand’s border with Laos in the northeast. CRCC’s two subsidiaries, China Railway 11 Bureau Group and China Railway 23 Bureau Group, will build railway beds, bridges and stations for the section linking Bangkok and the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, as China Daily reports.
Read more about Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway
