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A construction site of the China-Thailand High-Speed Railway in Ayutthaya Province, Thailand in January. Photo: Courtesy of China State Construction Engineering (Thailand) Co

The Thai government has approved the phase-2 of the China-Thailand High-Speed Railway (HSR), a flagship infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that will eventually connect the Southeast Asian country with China via the China-Laos Railway, according to Xinhua News Agency. 

The HSR's phase-2, connecting Nakhon Ratchasima with Nong Khai, is expected to be completed by 2030. 

Chinese and Thai experts said that once the HSR becomes operational, it will open up a new channel for Thailand to expand exports, attract foreign investment and boost its tourism industry, marking a major step in constructing the backbone of the vast Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network, a decade-long regional dream in Southeast Asia which is now materializing under the BRI framework.

The phase-2 of the HSR will span 357 kilometers and cost approximately 341.35 billion baht ($10.1 billion) to build, according to a report by Thai media outlet Nation Thailand. Construction could begin this year following the Thai Cabinet's approval, with operations expected to commence in 2031, the Xinhua report said.

The project consists of two parts. The first involves constructing a railway to link with the phase-1, which stretches from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, with five railway stations along the way. The phase-2 includes setting up a freight transit center in Nong Khai Province, which borders Laos, and provide a "one-stop" service for cross-border railway cargo transport, per Xinhua.

"We're having high expectations for the role of this rail link, once completed, it will help transport fruits from Southeast Asia to China, including durians, mangosteen, longan, and coconut. It is set to open a direct logistical link between China and Thailand as well as other Southeast Asian countries - with higher operational efficiency and lower cost," Deng Haoji, chief operating officer of Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Higher operational efficiency

The China-Thailand HSR is Thailand's first standard-gauge HSR with a designed passenger speed of 250 kilometers per hour, and also the first overseas high-speed rail project to adopt Chinese railway standards.

A spokesperson for the China State Construction Engineering (Thailand) Co, told the Global Times that the construction of China-Thailand HSR is of strategic importance in establishing the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network, which starts from Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, and extends to Singapore via Laos and Thailand. 

The company has undertaken the construction of the key sections of the China-Thailand HSR.

The blueprint for TAR's central route has begun to take shape with the implementation of several landmark BRI projects in the past decade, bringing massive benefits to the resource-rich ASEAN region. 

The China-Laos Railway, which connects Kunming with Vientiane, was put into operation in December 2021. As of January 9 this year, the rail link has transported a total of 50.7 million tons of cargo and 45 million passengers, data released by China Railway Group showed, making it one of the "golden corridors" in deepening cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

The phase-1 of China-Thailand HSR, a 253-kilometer-long rail line, was approved by the Thai government in July 2017. 

As of now, approximately 35.74 percent of the phase-1 has been completed, with full completion and railway operation expected by 2028. Once the first phase becomes operational, it will reduce the travel time between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima from more than 4 hours to just one hour, the China State Construction Engineering said.

The accelerated construction of the rail link between China and Thailand will serve an exemplified role, leading to the implementation of more BRI infrastructure projects that "could elevate regional connectivity in the Southeast Asia region to a new height" in the coming years, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times in a recent interview.

As economic cooperation further expands under the framework of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the TAR network is set to complement the overstretching sea-shipping and air cargo connectivity routes between China and Southeast Asia, analysts pointed out.

Last year, ASEAN countries remain China's largest trading partner. Bilateral trade between China and ASEAN jumped 9 percent year-on-year to reach 6.99 trillion yuan ($959 billion) in 2024, which accounted for 15.9 percent of China's total foreign trade, customs data showed.

Extensive BRI cooperation 

The implementation of the phase-2 China-Thailand High-Speed Railway will provide fresh impetus for Thailand's economic and social development, Hu Zhiyong, a professor from Zhejiang International Studies University and also a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"All the three routes of the TAR system connect with Thailand, so the completion of the HSR will solidify the country's role as a regional logistics and trading hub. Meanwhile, the rail link will bring substantial benefits to Thailand in terms of the development of tourism industry and accelerate its industrialization," Hu noted.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's ongoing visit to China is expected to enhance bilateral ties, including deepening the economic cooperation for mutual benefit and restoring the confidence of Chinese tourists in traveling to Thailand.

Wirun Phichaiwongphakdee, director of the Thailand-China Research Center of the Belt and Road Initiative, told the Global Times on Thursday that the visit will further strengthen bilateral cooperation under the BRI, especially in opening up new frontiers of growth in high-tech manufacturing, green renewable energies and the digital economy.

"China-Thailand BRI cooperation has a solid foundation and very bright development prospects. And the acceleration of the phase-2 HSR will undoubtedly inject new momentum of growth in Thailand," Hu said.