Nakhon Ratchasima, located in northeastern Thailand, whose Bachong County means "mountain pass" in Thai, as the name suggests, Bachong County and Nakhon Ratchasima are gateways from central Thailand to 20 provinces in the northeast. Not only does Highway 2 cut through the city, but also the terminus of the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway. Recently, our reporter visited the construction site of the China-Thailand Railway in Bachong County and saw that the construction site is in full swing. The first phase of the China-Thailand Railway project has entered the stage of comprehensive construction.

At Bachong Railway Station, a small platform with a simple Thai style, the train tracks are yellow in the sunset. From the waiting room, there are few passengers on the platform. The staff ring the iron bell and wave the red and green flag to greet the passengers. "Thailand's railway system was built 105 years ago. Pakchong Railway Station has 16 passenger trains per day, with just over 100 passengers, and 14 freight trains per day, mainly transporting hops, fuel oil, machinery and daily necessities from Bangkok to the northeast. "We urgently need high-speed trains to travel 600 kilometers from Bangkok to the northeast. We have broken the current speed limit of 70 kilometers per hour." "Said Somchai, a station official.

Not far from Bachong Railway Station is the construction site of the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway Project. Along the direction of the old railway tracks, the viaduct piers will continue to extend forward, which will realize the dream of high-speed railway in Thailand. In the future, it will take 90 minutes to travel from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, compared with the current 4.5 hours, and the railway "will enter a new era".

The Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section of the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway Cooperation Project is 252.3 kilometers long, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour, and is designed according to China's railway technical standards. "In July 2019, China Railway Design Group Co., Ltd. completed the detailed design of the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway cooperation Project, which is a key project of the 'Belt and Road' construction. "The civil engineering works currently underway include Bridges, roadbeds, tunnels and station houses, and the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway is expected to be completed in Thailand in 2027." "Said Ma Shengshuang, general manager of Thailand branch of China Railway Design Group Co.

Not only in Nakhon Ratchasima, in the city, North Standard and other provinces along the line, the China-Thailand railway is under construction. Section 4-3 of the China-Thailand Railway Project in Ayutthaya, constructed by China State Construction Corporation, is the largest section of the China-Thailand high-speed railway project. In the large beam field of the project, the roar of machines is constantly heard, and the prefabricated section beams are neatly placed, which will be erected on the China-Thailand Railway viaduct in the future. Thilin, a Thai engineer of the project, was responsible for technical communication and docking with the supervision and various links. He said, "I hope the construction of the China-Thailand railway will be completed as soon as possible and the status quo of Thailand's railway infrastructure will be changed. Through cooperation with China, Thailand has improved its railway construction capacity. China has brought advanced rail transit technology to Thailand. Once the railway is completed, it will make it more convenient for the Thai people to travel and is expected to bring a qualitative leap forward to the Thai economy."

In korat zhongtai railway construction engineer in Thailand Willoughby engaged in transportation construction 35 years, he said: "the Thai people are looking forward to China and Thailand railway connection Laos and China at an early date, I also want to be able to build connection Thailand southeast Asian countries such as Burma Cambodia's rail network, because the railway transport is of great significance to regional transportation and economic development."

According to the plan, the China-Thailand railway project will be divided into two phases. The first phase will connect Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima, the gateway to Thailand's northeast, and the second phase will extend to Nong Khai, a key trade town on Thailand's northeast border, just across the river from the Lao capital Vientiane, to connect with the China-Laos Railway.

In order to achieve connectivity and create more economic opportunities between China, Laos and Thailand, the National Transportation and Service Management Development Board of Thailand has formulated short - and long-term action plans and plans to expand other projects to make Thailand a regional transportation hub, taking advantage of Thailand's geographical advantages.

The first phase of the China-Thailand high-speed railway is progressing rapidly, with about 12 percent of the project completed and 20 percent expected to be completed by 2022, the National Railway Authority of Thailand said. The second phase (Khorat and Nong Khai) needs to be accelerated to connect with the China-Laos railway as soon as possible. The National Railway Authority of Thailand stressed that between 2023 and 2025, the scale and configuration of freight trains will be gradually improved to meet the growing international freight demand. The Ministry of Transport attaches great importance to the China-Thailand high-speed Railway project, which will bring various benefits such as tourism and economic development. It is necessary to accelerate the construction of the second phase (Khorat - Nong Khai) to connect with the China-Laos Railway as soon as possible.

Although the China-Thailand railway is still under construction, Thailand is connected with China and Laos by railway, which reflects the idea of Trans-Asia Railway. As an important part of the Trans-Asia Railway, the China-Thailand Railway will further enhance the connectivity between China and ASEAN. The completion of the China-Thailand railway will mean the completion of the Trans-Asia Railway, and the resulting trade and efficiency gains will be considerable.

Han Zhiqiang, Chinese ambassador to Thailand, said the China-Thailand railway is a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries. The two sides agreed to work for the early completion of the China-Laos-Thailand Railway, promote logistics, logistics and trade, and trade and industry through the railway, advance trilateral cooperation between China, Laos-Thailand in an all-round way, and substantially upgrade the development level of the sub-region. When the China-Thailand Railway is opened to traffic, the Indochina Peninsula will form a new railway artery running through the North and South, and enter the high-speed railway era in an all-round way.

"The high-speed rail network will not only connect parts of Thailand, but also form ASEAN's rail network. The China-Thailand high-speed railway project is a highlight of the country's railway construction. "When all the HSR projects are completed and integrated, they will become a huge rail network for passengers and goods, linking China, Malaysia, Laos and Thailand." Neerul, director general of the National Railway Authority of Thailand, said. Editor/Xu Shengpeng