Cabinet expected to nod for Thai-Japanese railway development deal next week

BANGKOK, May 11 (TNA) - The Thai Cabinet is expected to approve the country's railway development deal with Japan next week. Thai Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong told journalists on Monday that his ministry will ask for the Cabinet's approval of the signing of the Thai-Japanese cooperative framework on the development of many railways next week, while the signing is expected in Japan on May 26 or 27. Air Chief Marshal Prajin said that Japan is interested in many projects with Thailand, including a high-speed railway service from Bangkok to Chiang Mai Province in the Thai North, with the maximal speed exceeding 300 kilometers per hour. Air Chief Marshal Prajin explained that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTTPP) studied the route of the project in 2012 and the study will be reviewed along with environmental impact assessment and an investment plan under the Thai-Japan cooperation. According to the transport minister, Thailand and Japan may set up a joint venture to realize the project and he expects the construction to begin next year. The transport minister noted that Japan is also interested in extending Thai railways to neighboring countries in the East and the South, especially a standard-gauge track through the eastern Sa Kaeo Province bordering Cambodia. (TNA)