The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans to hold an online public hearing on the terms of reference (ToR) for the Chinese-Thai high-speed railway project in Nakhon Ratchasima, in order to collect the public's opinions on the 11-kilometre long section between Sikhiu district to Kut Chik in Sung Noen district.
Members of the public will be invited to show their views on SRT's website, after it has finished drafting and adjusting the ToR, which covers rail design, contractors' qualification, as well as budget.
One such change is the cut on its estimated construction cost from 5 billion baht to 3.3 billion baht, said acting SRT governor Voravuth Mala on Monday.
According to an SRT source, the train is designed to run on street level for 7km, while the remaining 4km on an elevated track.
Construction firms that wish to bid for the project is required to prove their experience in rail-related works that is "valued at 500 million baht or more in a single contract", said the source.
The ToR also includes details on support facilities, such as a maintenance and repair hub and water drainage systems.
The construction work must be completed within 15 months after a constructor is awarded the contract.
The Sikhiu-Kut Chik section is the second of 14 contracts that make up the 252.5km high-speed railway project from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima.
All of them are based on the design and construction blueprints made by Chinese experts.
The first contract, which is also to be implemented in Nakhon Ratchasima, has already been awarded to a winning contractor. It covers a 3.5km section from Klang Dong to Pang Asok in Pak Chong district.
Its construction began in December last year.
"Another 12 contracts worth 120 billion baht will be gradually put forward for bidding by the end of this year," Mr Voravuth said.
Once the work concerning the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima route is completed, the SRT will go ahead with the second phase of this high-speed train from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai.
Earlier in August, Mr Voravuth said the SRT is drafting conditions for auctions to find a consulting firm that will help in the design and planning stage of the second phase.
Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said earlier that Thailand is ready to pay for the construction of the entire Bangkok-Nong Khai route, which is about 606km-long.
Mr Arkhom has been asked to consider the 276-billion-baht Japanese-Thai high-speed railway project from Bangkok to Phitsanulok before it is forwarded to the cabinet for a final say, Mr Voravuth said.