Siriphong addresses EEC high-speed rail and Airport Rail Link issues

Prachachat•Politics•24m ago

Reader Briefing

Siriphong has ordered the State Railway of Thailand to negotiate with the CP Group regarding the 3-Airport High-Speed Rail project and the operation of the Airport Rail Link.

•Siriphong stated that the CP Group's request to unilaterally terminate the contract is not legally complete.
•The State Railway of Thailand must ensure a continuity of Airport Rail Link services before September 30.
•Negotiations between the State Railway of Thailand and the CP Group are scheduled for August 27.
•The CP Group requested a change in payment terms to a 'build-and-pay' model.

Overview

•Siriphong stated that unilateral contract termination by the private sector is not legally complete as it does not meet any of the four required conditions.
•Siriphong warned that actions by the private sector exceeding legal limits could lead to future lawsuits for damages and compensation.
•Siriphong urged the State Railway of Thailand to negotiate with the CP Group to continue operating the Airport Rail Link to avoid public impact.
•The State Railway of Thailand will negotiate with the CP Group on August 27 regarding train operations and workload adjustments.
•Siriphong ordered the State Railway of Thailand to negotiate reducing the scope of work in the overlapping section between Bang Sue Central Station and Don Mueang to be handled by the state.
•Results from the August 27 negotiations will be presented to the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee.
•The CP Group requested a change from payment upon project completion to a 'build-and-pay' model, which Siriphong noted is difficult to implement in practice.

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Key Quotes

Siriphong

"Legally and according to the joint venture contract, unilateral termination of the contract by the private sector is not yet complete."

ทางกฎหมายและสัญญาการร่วมลงทุนฯ การบอกเลิกสัญญาฝ่ายเดียวโดยเอกชน ยังไม่เป็นผลสมบูรณ์

Key Entities

Person

Siriphong(สิริพงศ์)

An official overseeing the resolution of the high-speed rail project issues and coordinating with the State Railway of Thailand.

Organization

State Railway of Thailand(ร.ฟ.ท.)ℹ️

The state agency tasked with negotiating with the private sector and managing the Airport Rail Link operations.

CP Group(ซี.พี.)ℹ️

The private sector entity involved in the 3-Airport High-Speed Rail project that requested to terminate the contract.

Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee(คณะกรรมการนโยบายเขตพัฒนาพิเศษภาคตะวันออก)

The board (EEC Board) to which the negotiation results will be presented.

Place

Bang Sue Central Station(สถานีกลางบางซื่อ)ℹ️

A location marking the start of the overlapping section of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail contract 4-1.

Don Mueang(ดอนเมือง)ℹ️

A location marking the end of the overlapping section of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail contract 4-1.

Policy

3-Airport High-Speed Rail Project(โครงการรถไฟความเร็วสูงเชื่อม 3 สนามบิน)

The high-speed rail project currently facing contractual disputes between the state and the CP Group.

Airport Rail Link(แอร์พอร์ตเรลลิงก์)ℹ️

The rail service that the State Railway of Thailand must ensure continues operating without interruption.