7 pct of construction of first section of Thailand-China high speed railway completed

PAK CHONG, Thailand - Construction of the first section of Thailand-China High Speed Train project has been running smoothly, or 7 percent completed, Thanin Somboon, Director-General of Thailand's Department of Highways said on Thursday at the construction site here.

The clearing and grubbing of the first 3.5-kilometer section is finished in the main, contributing to a 7 percent completion of the section, said Thanin at a press tour to where the project began last December.

"The highway department is confident to finish the 3.5-kilometer section within four months, or before August, once we are fully funded," said the director-general.

So far, the cooperation between China and Thailand has been going well, which would be a referential experience for the construction of future sections, Thanin emphasized.

Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, or the 253-km first phase of Thailand-China high speed railway last December.

Once completed, the railway with a maximum speed of 250 km per hour will be the first high-speed railway of Thailand.