Thailand’s first Shinkansen-style high-speed rail line, “Bangkok–Chiang Mai,” awaits a new government to move forward, as the EIA has not yet expired.

Article By: dailynews.co.th

Thailand’s first Shinkansen high-speed rail line, “Bangkok-Chiang Mai,” is hoping the new government will approve its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to prevent it from expiring, despite being approved 9 years ago without construction. It plans to share its route with the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project.

The “Daily News Transport Innovation Team” reported that the Department of Rail Transport (DRT) has held discussions with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the high-speed rail project on the Bangkok–Chiang Mai route, covering a distance of 668 km. The project is part of a memorandum of cooperation on rail system development between Thailand’s Ministry of Transport and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The development is divided into two phases: Phase 1 from Bangkok to Phitsanulok, spanning 380 km, and Phase 2 from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai, spanning 288 km.

This is because the EIA received approval from the National Environment Board (NEB) more than five years ago. The Bangkok–Phitsanulok section was approved on 8 August 2017, while the Phitsanulok–Chiang Mai section was approved on 2 August 2018. Normally, an EIA is valid for five years; once it expires, the mitigation measures must be reviewed and resubmitted to the NEB for consideration.

ONEP stated that the EIA has not expired because the project uses the same alignment on the section from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Ayutthaya Station as the Thai–Chinese high-speed rail Phase 1 project (Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima), which is currently under construction. The projects share elevated structures, with four tracks in total—two for the northern line and two for the northeastern line. However, if construction begins, detailed discussions will be required regarding the signalling system, specifically whether two separate systems need to be installed.

Implementation of the project must await the policy direction of the new government after the election. Previously, when the Pheu Thai Party was in government, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit ordered the project to be put on hold in order to prioritize the Thai–Chinese high-speed rail project in both phases first, due to the government’s budget constraints. Meanwhile, Japan was not yet ready to jointly invest under Thailand’s proposal, but expressed willingness to support the project by providing Shinkansen system technology.

According to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2017, the project had an estimated investment value of approximately 276.226 billion baht. In 2021, the study was reviewed and the budget was reduced by 14.472 billion baht, bringing the total to 261.754 billion baht. The line would have 12 stations: Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, Don Mueang Station, Ayutthaya Station, Lopburi Station, Nakhon Sawan Station, Phichit Station, Phitsanulok Station, Sukhothai Station, Si Satchanalai Station, Lampang Station, Lamphun Station, and Chiang Mai Station.

[Original article ไฮสปีดชิงกันเซ็งสายแรกของไทย“กรุงเทพฯ-เชียงใหม่”ลุ้นรัฐบาลใหม่ให้ไปต่อ EIA ไม่หมดอายุ at dailynews.co.th. Translation by ChatGPT.]