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SRT and CP to decide on High-Speed Rail and Airport Rail Link

SRT and CP to decide on High-Speed Rail and Airport Rail Link

Thansettakij•Economy•31m ago

Reader Briefing

The State Railway of Thailand is scheduling a decisive meeting with CP to resolve contract disputes regarding the high-speed rail project and Airport Rail Link operations.

  • •SRT will negotiate with CP tomorrow regarding the high-speed rail project connecting 3 airports.
  • •A dispute exists over payment structures, with the private sector requesting payments based on construction progress rather than upon completion.
  • •SRT warns that unauthorized cessation of Airport Rail Link operations could lead to lawsuits for damages.
  • •Overlapping areas between the 3-airport project and the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project (Contract 4-1) are hindering construction progress.

Overview

  • •SRT will hold a critical negotiation with CP tomorrow to determine if the private sector accepts new conditions or stops train operations.
  • •The private sector proposes changing the payment model from payment upon completion to payment based on work progress, which SRT finds difficult to implement under current agreements.
  • •Siriphong stated that if the private sector unilaterally stops Airport Rail Link operations while the contract is binding, it may lead to lawsuits and fines under civil law.
  • •Overlapping areas in the Bang Sue-Don Mueang section (Contract 4-1) of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project are affected by the unresolved 3-airport project dispute.
  • •SRT prepares to propose reducing certain scopes of work from the original contract to reduce financial burdens and complexity for the private sector.
  • •The government aims to reach a conclusion on contract adjustments and construction transitions to present to the EEC Board for policy decisions.
  • •Legal conditions for unilateral contract termination by the private sector are currently not met according to government principles.

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Source: Thansettakij (Original)

Key Quotes

Siriphong
"Full clarity on whether the private sector will accept new conditions or insist on stopping train operations is expected from the important negotiations tomorrow."
ความชัดเจนทั้งหมดในเรื่องแนวโน้มท่าทีของเอกชนว่าจะยอมรับเงื่อนไขใหม่หรือยืนยันหยุดเดินรถ คาดว่าจะได้ทราบผลจากการเจรจาครั้งสำคัญในวันพรุ่งนี้

Key Entities

Organization

SRT(รฟท.)
The state agency managing the high-speed rail negotiations and Airport Rail Link operations.
CP
The private sector entity involved in the high-speed rail connecting 3 airports project.
Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee(คณะกรรมการนโยบายเขตพัฒนาพิเศษภาคตะวันออก (กพอ.))
The board, also known as the EEC Board, responsible for policy-level decisions on the project.
EEC Board(บอร์ด EEC)
The policy-level decision-making body for the Eastern Economic Corridor.

Person

Siriphong(สิริพงศ์)
A representative of the government/SRT providing details on the negotiations and legal warnings.

Place

Bang Sue-Don Mueang(บางซื่อ-ดอนเมือง)
The location of the Contract 4-1 construction section for the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project.