Japan Freight Railway Co has opened a representative office in Bangkok to scale up feasibility studies on business opportunities in Thailand.

The company in the Japan Railway group said it obtained governmental approval on Sept 2 for the opening of the office, its first outside Japan, in Wattana district. It has two staff members, including a locally hired employee.

Japan Freight Railway has been providing support for local freight railway services since 2015 under an accord between Japanese and Thai transport authorities, while looking for a foothold in the Southeast Asian country.

The new office enables the company to gather information and conduct various other activities more broadly than before by taking advantage of its now-how on transport and maintenance operations.

The Thai government is considering granting operating concessions to private-sector entities while refurbishing its infrastructure as it plans to restructure the state-run railway system -- a move that may open the way for major business expansion by Japan Freight Railway.