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Thailand's China-built high-speed rail, on track but delayed
Concrete piers supporting the new elevated track tower over bright green rice paddies, cutting a strip through a quiet corner of Thailand's poor, rural northeast.
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In this photo taken on March 29, 2023 a train sits below an elevated track, still under construction as part of the Thai-Chinese Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed railway project at Sung Noen Station in Nakhon Ratchasima province. (AFP/Jack Taylor)
O
ne of Thailand's oldest railway stations is facing demolition as the kingdom presses ahead with a long-delayed Chinese-backed high-speed line that has caused unease about lost heritage and closer ties to Beijing.
Concrete piers supporting the new elevated track tower over bright green rice paddies, cutting a strip through a quiet corner of Thailand's poor, rural northeast.
The $5.4-billion line aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 -- another piece in Beijing's vast "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative that sprawls across Asia.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha, facing a tough battle in next month's general election, has championed the 600-kilometre (373-mile) railway as a way to boost the economy through trade with China.
Thailand already has nearly 5,000 km of railway but the run-down network has long driven people to favour travel by road -- despite the extremely high accident rate.
When the line is complete, Chinese-made trains will run from Bangkok to Nong Khai, on the Mekong River border with Laos, at up to 250 km/h.
Heritage battle
