On July 30, 2014, Thai army
chief General
Prayut Chan-o-cha, whose forces seized control of the government through
a bloodless coup in May, announced plans to build two high-speed rail lines as part of a 741.4 billion baht transportation program.
[2] The Nong Khai to
Map Ta Phut line, 737 kilometres (458 mi) in length, would run from the Laotian border near Vientane to the
Gulf of Thailand.
[2] The
Chiang Khong to
Ban Phachi line, 655 kilometres (407 mi) in length, would run from
Chiang Rai near the northern tip of Thailand to
Ayutthaya just north of Bangkok.
[2] The two lines would allow trains to travel at a top speed of 160 km/h.
[2] Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015 and will be completed in 2021.
[2]
In November 2014, after a meeting between Li Keqiang and Prayut Chan-o-cha, China agreed to lend Thailand funds to build dual-track standard gauge midspeed railways on the Bankok-Nong Khai, Bangkok-Map Ta Phut, and Kaeng Khoi-Map Ta Phut routes.
[33] The loans could be repaid with rice and rubber.
[33] On December 4, 2014, the
Thai National Legislative Assembly voted 187-0 with seven abstensions to approve loans for the Nong Khai-Map Ta Phut and Kaeng Khoi-Bangkok lines.
[34] China would undertake construction and development of the lines but would not receive land use rights along the along the routes.
[34] On December 19, 2014, the two countries signed a memorandum to build the railways.
[35]