Thai Transport Minister Arkom Termpittayapaisith said Malaysia and Thailand are set to begin the official talks on the feasibility of building a High Speed Rail (HSR) linking Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
Should it get the approval, the project is expected to reduce the travel time between the two capitals to just six hours, he said.
“Thailand already has a southbound high-speed train project in the works from Bangkok to Hua Hin. Officials will look into whether that line should be extended or if a totally new line should be built from Bangkok,” said Arkom.
Notably, the minister prefers an extension from Prachuap Khiri Khan in Hua Hin to Padang Besar in Sadao, before connecting to Kuala Lumpur.
Thailand deputy permanent secretary for transport Peraphon Thawornsupacharoen also revealed that Japan and China had already expressed interest in the feasibility study for the HSR project.
He added that 500km of the 1,400km rail line would be in Malaysia.
A few months earlier, Thailand Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak agreed to conduct a feasibility study on the 1,400km rail project.
Najib believes the project will complement the HSR connecting Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Mangalesri Chandrasekaran, Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email mangales@propertyguru.com.my
