The State Railway of Thailand will study the feasibility of upgrading its existing one-metre-gauge train tracks to the standard gauge, or 1.435 metres, proposed for future train services.
The study was announced by Deputy Transport Minister Chatt Kuldilokeon on Thursday after a meeting with SRT officials to discuss the government’s plans to construct a high-speed rail system and upgrade the country’s double rail tracks.
Mr Chatt said the government wanted high-speed trains to carry both passengers and freight.
He asked the SRT to study the feasibility of building the new standard gauge track, used in most countries, along the same routes as the existing narrow gauge tracks.
The study would look into the comparative costs.
Mr Chatt said it was proposed the planned Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high speed rail route, to run on the wider tracks, would also be extended to Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri.
An SRT official who did not want to be named said the plan would be “extremely hard” to implement due to the high construction cost and technical problems in the course of construction.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/256732/govt-to-install-1-4m-wide-railway-tracks
