China-Thailand railway
The China-Thailand railway will be Thailand’s first standard-gauge railway to be jointly built by China and Thailand. Its planned length is 900 kilometers.
A “rice for high-speed rail” plan was first proposed by both countries in 2012 during the visit of the then Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to China. The plan was then shelved as a result of political turmoil in Thailand. After approval by the Thai Parliament on December 6, 2014, a memorandum of understanding for the rail project was signed on December 19. The signing was witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Formal consultation on the project followed.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held in Thailand on December 19, 2015. The construction of the Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi section began in early 2016, and is scheduled to be completed in three years. The entire rail system is expected to be operational in five years.
This rail cooperation project will be a showcase for effective alignment between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Thailand’s infrastructure development plans. Serving Thailand’s northeastern regions and covering major cities, the network will be a great boon to economic development and standards of living in those regions.
中泰鐵路
中泰鐵路是中國與泰國合作建設的泰國首條標準軌鐵路，按最初計劃，該鐵路全線總長近 900 公里。2012年，時任泰國總理英拉訪華，兩國提出“大米換高鐵”計劃，但隨著泰國政局的動蕩，這一計劃被擱置。2014年12月6日，泰國國家立法議會批準中泰鐵路合作諒解備忘錄草案。同年12月19日，李克強總理和巴育總理共同見證了《中泰鐵路合作諒解備忘錄》的簽署，隨后，中泰鐵路進入正式協商階段。2015年12月19日，中泰鐵路項目在泰國舉行了啟動儀式。2016年初，中泰鐵路曼谷－呵叻段開工建設、大約三年內完工，而整條線路將在五年內建設完成。中泰鐵路合作項目是中國“一帶一路”倡議與泰國巴育政府基礎設施建設規劃有效對接的范例。中泰鐵路沿線主要途經泰國東北部地區，所經站點均為泰國重要城市，因此將大大促進泰國東北部經濟發展，惠及民生。