Thailand's three-airport rail project is back on track
Travelling in Thailand means discovering something special at every turn and the eastern coastline is no exception. With beautiful islands and beaches tucked away in provinces such as Pattaya, Chonburi and Rayong, you don't even have to venture all the way south to find a seaside escape.
However, getting there from Bangkok's airports can still take hours by road. That's why, back in 2019, the Thai government launched an ambitious high-speed rail project designed to link these three major airports – Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao – to improve access and cut travel times.
But just as things were picking up speed, the pandemic brought everything to a halt. The original public-private partnership (PPP) agreement, signed in October 2019, was disrupted by the global economic downturn. The private consortium leading the initiative, Asia Era One, faced financial setbacks due to shrinking confidence from lenders and the mounting risks of large-scale infrastructure investments. As a result, key obligations, including payments for the rights to operate the Airport Rail Link (ARL) couldn't be met.
Still, that wasn't the end of the line. Over the past few years, the government and its private partners have been working behind the scenes to revise the terms and address financial challenges to get the plan back on track.
Now, after nearly five years, there's finally light at the end of the tunnel. In March 2025, the State Railway of Thailand board approved a revised joint investment deal, aligned with guidelines from the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee. If all goes according to plan, the updated contract will be signed in July 2025, paving the way for construction to begin.
Service is expected to launch sometime between 2029 and 2030, making transportation across the country's key regions faster, easier and more connected than ever.
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Time Out
a day ago
- Time Out
Thailand's three-airport rail project is back on track
Travelling in Thailand means discovering something special at every turn and the eastern coastline is no exception. With beautiful islands and beaches tucked away in provinces such as Pattaya, Chonburi and Rayong, you don't even have to venture all the way south to find a seaside escape. However, getting there from Bangkok's airports can still take hours by road. That's why, back in 2019, the Thai government launched an ambitious high-speed rail project designed to link these three major airports – Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao – to improve access and cut travel times. But just as things were picking up speed, the pandemic brought everything to a halt. The original public-private partnership (PPP) agreement, signed in October 2019, was disrupted by the global economic downturn. The private consortium leading the initiative, Asia Era One, faced financial setbacks due to shrinking confidence from lenders and the mounting risks of large-scale infrastructure investments. As a result, key obligations, including payments for the rights to operate the Airport Rail Link (ARL) couldn't be met. Still, that wasn't the end of the line. Over the past few years, the government and its private partners have been working behind the scenes to revise the terms and address financial challenges to get the plan back on track. Now, after nearly five years, there's finally light at the end of the tunnel. In March 2025, the State Railway of Thailand board approved a revised joint investment deal, aligned with guidelines from the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee. If all goes according to plan, the updated contract will be signed in July 2025, paving the way for construction to begin. Service is expected to launch sometime between 2029 and 2030, making transportation across the country's key regions faster, easier and more connected than ever.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Miracle of seat 11A as singer survived fatal plane crash in exact same position
Ruangsak Loychusak, 47, from Thailand, survived a deadly crash in 1998 after sitting in seat 11A. Much like Air India survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was also sat in the same position A Thai popstar has revealed how he survived a plane crash in 1998 and was sitting in the same seat as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who miraculously made it out alive of the Air India disaster this week. Ruangsak Loychusak, 47, shared his eerie survival of the crash which killed 101 passengers on the Thai Airways flight TG261. He had set off from Bangkok to Surat Thani when it plummeted into a swamp. Although he no longer has his ticket, old news reports documented his brush with death at the time. Altogether, 101 out of 132 passengers and 14 crew members had died. 45 injuries were recorded after the catastrophe. After hearing about the unlikely news of the seat number, Ruangsak said he had "goosebumps". He stated: "The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A. I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy." He added that nightmares of the crash plagued his life for a decade and said he suffered from breathing issues after the incident. "I had difficulty flying for 10 years after the crash. I would struggled breathing, even though the air circulation was normal. "I avoided speaking to anyone and always stared outside the window, blocking anyone from closing it to maintain my sense of safety. "If I saw dark clouds or a rainstorm outside, I would feel terrible, like I was in hell. I can still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water in the swamp the plane crashed into. For a long time, I would keep the feelings to myself." Over 20 years later, Ramesh survived a crash under similar circumstances and was also sat in seat 11A. Explaining how the disaster unfolded, he told DD News: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. "Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white. The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' He added: 'At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage. I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.' It comes as the sole survivor of the Air India Flight 171 disaster revealed the horror moment before the plane erupted into a fireball near Ahmedabad Airport in western India during a shock crash. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, was carrying 242 people bound for Gatwick Airport when it crashed into a college in a residential area on Thursday. British passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, the sole survivor has told how the lights "started flickering" before the aircraft hit the ground. The 40-year-old told the Hindustan Times: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. "Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.'
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
One of London's best restaurants has announced plans to reopen
After 25 years of trading, the legendary, family-run Thai canteen shut down its Leytonstone location in autumn 2024. It was revealed that the restaurant would be moving to Shoreditch this year, and news now reaches us that they'll be flinging open the doors to the new spot on June 19. That's so very soon! The new restaurant will be located at Unit 7 Montacute Yards, just off Shoreditch High Street. Singburi was named Time Out's restaurant of the year in 2021. Famously hard to score a table, it had no website and you could only book by phone or when you were at the actual restaurant. Even so, Singburi gained semi-mythical status due to its famous blackboard specials menu, and dishes such as their phenomenally good crispy fried pork belly moo krob. Chef-patron Sirichai Kularbwong will be joined by chef Nick Molyviatis (previously at Oma, Agora, Speedboat Bar, Plaza and Kiln) for Singburi 2.0, with Kularbwong's parents - who ran the original Singburi - retiring from the kitchen. Speaking about the new restaurant, Molyviatis commented: 'At its heart, the menu is an evolution of the Singburi blackboard menu, and a reflection of what we love to eat and cook. Thai food is communal - dishes are served all together, and they should complement each other.' The menu will include dishes such as dill and lemongrass pork sausage, tiger prawn southern curry, mussels and wild ginger pad phet, and smoked beef rib panang curry. The interiors of the new joint will be somewhat sleeker than the former fish and chip shop that was the Leytonstone branch. The industrial-styled space in the Montacute Yards new-build will boast terrazzo flooring, as well as an open kitchen surrounded by 19 counter seats and further space for 40 diners on tables. Unlike the original Singburi, you'll now be able to buy booze on site, with a cocktail menu devised in collaboration with Vassilios Kyritsis of award-winning Athens bar The Clumsies, including a clarified bloody mary and makrut lime leaf gimlet. The restaurant with the best view in London, according to Time Out.
