The Transport Ministry will be able to conclude initial details for an independent agency to manage the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project from Bangkok to Nong Khai in two months' time, says Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn.
The deputy minister Wednesday chaired the first sub-committee meeting among transport authorities, including the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, to discuss the setting up of the agency.
He said the sub-committee must first reach an agreement on the type of agency to be established before further plans can be submitted to the cabinet.
"The agency could either be a state enterprise or a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, but this decision can only be made with the approval of the sub-committee," Mr Pailin said.
According to him, the cabinet had earlier instructed the Transport Ministry to ensure that the agency would be managed separately from the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).
However, he said the SRT should not be left out of the plans, citing that it is still "just as eligible" as any other company to enter bidding for the Bangkok-Nong Khai route's operating rights in the future.
The SRT is a state enterprise which runs the country's railways under the Transport Ministry.
"An agency established for the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway would not be able to entirely detach itself from the SRT, but operations would be more efficient if the agency is mainly focused on the project," Mr Pailin said.
Minister's Office director Sorapong Paitoonphong, acting as the sub-committee's secretary, said the draft of calls for interest would finish in two weeks and be sent out to those involved in the high-speed railway project.
"The document will ask these firms what type of agency they think is best for the project," he said Wednesday. "We currently have around 73 financial consulting firms registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission who will be involved in the decision."
Mr Sorapong said subsequent meetings should be conducted in the following two months, after replies from all firms have been collected. The feedback will be discussed at the next sub-committee meeting, he added.
Mr Pailin said all information will be passed to the cabinet by mid-year with the goal of establishing the agency by the year's end.
