Somkid speeds up transport projects

BANGKOK, Nov 14 (TNA) -- Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said on Nov 13 he wanted the implementation of yellow, pink and blue railway projects to start within the first half of next year. After a meeting of the strategic implementation committee of the National Council for Peace and Order in Bangkok, Mr Somkid said that apart from the electric railway projects of Bangkok, the acceleration also covered double-track railways and two inter-city motorway projects. Process before their implementation must finish and there must be bidding contests within the first half of 2016, Mr Somkid said. The deputy prime minister also admitted that a Sino-Thai railway project was facing disagreement between Thailand and China on a loan interest rate and a route. Meanwhile, Japanese-Thai railway cooperation went on well because Japan was interested in building tracks along the east-west economic corridor, Mr Somkid said. He also said that a government committee would negotiate with the United States' Federal Aviation Administration before it announced the result of its re-audit on Thai air safety. Another committee was doing the mission with the European Aviation Safety Aviation, Mr Somkid said. (TNA)