Double track construction starts in Thailand

BANGKOK, February 10 (TNA) - The construction of a double track railway has been kicked off from Nakhon Ratchasima to Khon Kaen Provinces in the Thai Northeast. Thai Deputy Transport Minister Ormsin Chivapruck presided over a ceremony to start the construction at the Tha Phra Railway Station in Khon Kaen on Wednesday. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) contracted the CKCH consortium to build the 187-kilometer-long double track railway line, from the Thanon Chira Junction Railway Station in Nakhon Ratchasima to Khon Kaen, in parallel with an existing railway. The new line, which is part of the Thai government's double tracks development project, will pass 19 passenger stations and three cargo-handling stations, while the contract also includes the installation of a signaling system along the route. The construction has been set to be completed within 36 months and once it is opened for public services, the new line will double train traffic and ensure public safety and punctuality. The consortium has won the contract from an electronic auction by quoting the construction cost at 23.44 billion baht, 177 million baht or 0.75 per cent lower than the median price of 23.62 billion baht. SRT Governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra told journalists, meanwhile, that the construction of double-track lines on five other routes has been set to start by next year, including Chachoengsao-Khlong Sib Kao-Kaeng Khoi, Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin, Lop Buri-Pak Nam Pho, Mab Kabao-Thanon Chira Junction and Prachuap Khiri Khan-Chumphon. According to the SRT governor, bidding contests for Chachoengsao-Khlong Sib Kao-Kaeng Khoi and Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin routes have been done, while those for the remaining routes will be organized within early this year. (TNA)