On October 10, 2019, Mr. Uttama Savanayana, Minister of Finance, revealed that the Ministry of Finance has instructed the State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) to expedite coordination with the Ministry of Transport to appoint a new board for the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) as soon as possible, following the resignation of the previous board. This is necessary to proceed with signing the construction contract for the high-speed rail project connecting three airports with private partners as planned.

          "I confirm that the Ministry of Finance is fully supportive, but it is not the main agency overseeing this matter. Therefore, we can only expedite the establishment of the SRT board. We have already completed the list of board members, including the chairperson, but we cannot disclose the names yet. We will proceed with the necessary steps, which may not be very quick as this involves multiple agencies," said Mr. Uttama.

          Regarding the private sector's proposal for the government to share investment risks in the high-speed rail project, it is viewed that the relevant agencies have already assessed the risk-sharing. However, everything must be within the framework of the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the investment contract. Meanwhile, Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, Minister of Transport, discussed the high-speed rail project connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports, covering a distance of 220 km and valued at 224,544.36 million baht. He stated that on October 8, the selection committee met and decided to postpone the signing of the contract to October 25, 2019, at 12:00 PM at the SRT, as they need to wait for approval from the SRT board first. The selection committee has already informed the consortium led by Charoen Pokphand Holdings Co., Ltd. and its partners (CPH Group).

          As for the appointment of the new SRT board, SEPO has reviewed the list of board members and sent it back to the Ministry of Transport. It is expected to be proposed to the Cabinet on October 15 for the new board's appointment so that meetings can commence immediately.

          When asked whether the specified date is seen as pressuring the CPH group to sign the contract, Mr. Saksayam responded that he does not understand the term "pressure". In the project implementation process, there are time constraints, with November 7, 2019, being the deadline for price submission. Therefore, it is not pressure; if it were, it would have been done long ago.

          After the contract is signed, any actions that the government is legally required to undertake must be expedited, such as land handover. Currently, 72% of the land is ready for handover to allow the contractor to plan construction at the sites that are ready. For areas still requiring the relocation of public utilities, state enterprises will be asked to clarify their relocation plans, the budget required, and the timeline for the relocation, ensuring transparency throughout the process.

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