Thailand has postponed the launch of a Chinese-Thai high-speed train project, stressing that no significant progress will be made late this year as originally planned.
The start of the joint project, which is a Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima route costing 179 billion Thai baht, will be put off until 2017, but the timeframe will remain the same, Thai Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post.
Three other high-speed projects have also been postponed, including a 382-kilometer Bangkok-Phitsanulok track, which is a joint venture between Thailand and Japan, according to the report.
The transnational Thailand-China railway, a high-speed line originally designed to connect southern China to Thailand's industrial eastern coast via Laos, has been progressing in fits and starts due to the two countries' disagreements over various issues including cost. In September, China and Thailand reached an agreement on the first phase of the project. According to the original plan, Thailand was supposed to bear the full construction costs, with China providing funds for the technical systems.
