Thai Cabinet gives green light to new high-speed train project

BANGKOK, May 27 (TNA) - The Cabinet has approved a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on the development of the Thai railway system between the Thai and Japanese governments, covering a high-speed train project on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai route. Thai Transport Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong told journalists of the update on Wednesday, saying that the MOC also covers a rail project on the improvement of the existing Karnchaburi-Lam Chabang route to link with Thailand's southern economic corridor and Myanmar's Dawei Deep Seaport. As for another rail route linking Mae Sot District of Tak Province in the Thai North with Mukdahan Province in the Thai Northeast, the transport minister revealed, the Japanese government will help conduct a feasibility study in the future. According to the transport minister, a Thai working group is scheduled to visit Japan from May 27-28 to hold talks on cooperation patterns between Tokyo and Bangkok under the MOC, namely a government-to-government (G-to-G) form, as well as operational durations of the projects and future plans, all aspects of which are expected to be seen clearly by June 27, 2015. (TNA)