A spokesperson for the Thai governmental cabinet, major-general Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said the plan had already passed environmental inspections. He continued by saying construction was scheduled to begin next month and the project would take up to four years to complete.
The track addition will increase the daily passenger capacity of train services between Chira Road Junction, a station in Nakhon Ratchasima or Korat as most Thais refer to it, and Khon Kaen to 55,000. The State Railway of Thailand says the amount of passengers that currently travel by train on this route varies between 27,000 and 38,000 a day.
The extra line will also allow for increased freight trains services as well and the assessment forecast an increase from 10,000 to 16,000 tonnes a day. The budget to build the new track is THB26 billion, but the evaluation claims extra income from passengers and freight could total THB25 billion a year.
Double Korat Khon Kaen rail track approved
News in Asia
The Thai government recently approved the upgrade of the railway line linking the cities of Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima. The 187km-long line linking the two locations is currently only single track. The upgrade will see the line turned into a dual-track one.