According to Thai media news, on May 8, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya presided over the 31st Sino-Thai Railway Cooperation Joint Member Meeting in Beijing, together with Wu Hao, Secretary-General of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, and others.
The meeting was considered an important step in promoting cooperation on the Sino-Thai high-speed rail project, and the two sides exchanged views in a good atmosphere and reached agreement on many important issues. The details are as follows:
1. The meeting followed up the progress of the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section of the Sino-Thai Railway (Phase I), 2 of the 14 contracts have been completed, another 10 are under construction, and 2 are waiting to be signed, which is expected to be opened to traffic in 2028;
2. As for the Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai section project (Phase II), it is expected to start construction in 2025 and open to traffic in 2030;
3. The meeting discussed the connection between Nong Khai in Thailand and Vientiane in Laos, in response to which the Thai side reported on the progress of the construction of the new Mekong Bridge, which is about 30 meters away from the existing bridge and has both standard railways and roads. At present, the relevant work plan is underway, including the cross-border transportation of goods between Thailand, Laos and China;
Thai media said that during the discussion at the meeting, both sides agreed to continue to improve and deepen cooperation and close coordination at the trilateral meeting of Thailand, Laos and China to promote the further implementation of the above-mentioned railway projects.
4. The Thai side also reported on the establishment of the Institute of Railway Technology Research and Development (RTRDA), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Transport of Thailand;
5. The meeting also adopted the decision to hold the 32nd meeting of the Sino-Thai Railway Cooperation Joint Member Association in Thailand.