A total of 31 firms have expressed interest in bidding for a high-speed train project to connect two major airports with the U-Tapao gateway.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said the Thai and foreign companies had purchased the bidding papers, with a price tag of 1 million baht, before Monday's deadline.
They included firms from Thailand, China, Japan, Italy, France, South Korea and Malaysia. Charoen Pokphand, an agribusiness and retail conglomerate, and Energy Complex, a subsidiary of energy giant PTT Plc, are among the firms seeking to diversify from their core businesses, according to the list of the bidders.
The 224-billion-baht project links Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang with U-Tapao airports in Ban Chang district of Rayong.
Rayong residents have called for the planned line to extend to Muang district to promote other locations in the eastern province.
The SRT high-speed train, part of the Eastern Economic Corridor, aims to promote U-Tapao airport.
