Thailand to open new rail technological research institute

BANGKOK, April 26 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Transport, plans to establish a new rail technological research institute within this year, where rail development specialists will also be produced to work for the country's expanding railway infrastructure development projects. Thai Deputy Transport Minister Pairin Chuchotethavorn told journalists of the progressive plan, after chairing a meeting of a sub-committee tasked with the establisment of the new institute in Bangkok. Pairin stated that the plan on the opening up of the new institute, with its public organization status, was set to be on progress concretely over the next 6-9 months. "The newly-established institute is aimed to support a policy of the Thai government and the Ministry of Transport on the development of 10 new electric train routes in Bangkok and its peripheral areas, along with the dual-track railway projects of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and inter-provincial high speed train projects", the deputy minister stressed. The deputy minister noted that rail research projects to be developed and introduced by the newly-established institute, where specialists will also be produced, should also help reduce Thailand's imports of innovative rail technologies and systems from abroad. (TNA)