PTT Plc, the SET-listed national oil and gas conglomerate, plans to disclose any strategic business partnerships for the upcoming high-speed railway linking three airports in October or November.
PTT is one of the bidders for the 224-billion-baht high-speed railway, connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-tapao airports and serving the government's touted Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme, covering Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong provinces.
Bidders from Thailand, East Asia and Europe have expressed interest in the project.
PTT has been in talks with those who bought terms of reference documents from the government in June, said Chansin Treenuchagron, chief technology and engineering officer.
"The talks have yet to conclude as there are many bidders with expertise in train management and industrial operations, so they need more time for consideration," he said.
The railway expansion will be built along the existing route, operated by the State Railway of Thailand. The inner-city railway in Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Samut Prakan (Suvarnabhumi) will have a slow speed of 160 kilometres per hour. The rural route from Samut Prakan to Chon Buri (U-tapao) will have a maximum speed of 250 km/hour.
The massive investment project will connect PTT's production facilities, mainly in Chon Buri and Rayong.
PTT also has academic institutes and research houses for science, technology, engineer and mathematics in Rayong.
For the railway project, PTT needs professional partners on train, traffic management and property development.
The move is expected to beef up PTT's business outlook in the next decade, including energy storage and production-by-consumer system, all of which are related to electric-based mobility.
