Seven foreign firms to bid on dual-track rail signaling project

Seven foreign firms plan to submit bids to supply equipment for Thailand’s dual-track rail project, evidence that international investors see opportunities in Thailand’s infrastructure program.

The winner would supply signaling and communications equipment. The firms come from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and they purchased documents from the Thai government that will allow them to prepare bids to compete for the contracts for the first phase of the project. Two Thai companies have also expressed interest in submitting bids.

Among the foreign companies that bought bidding documents were Hitachi from Japan, Ansaldo from Spain, Siemens from Germany, and LSIS from South Korea. Two companies from China and one from Canada will also seek to win the contracts, said Sujit Chaosirikul, deputy governor of the State Railway of Thailand.

Companies have until July 22 to purchase the documents. The two Thai companies that have bought them are Italian-Thai Development and Unique Engineering and Construction, Sujit said.

“The name of the winner will be announced within two months, in September at the latest,” Sujit said.

Building and expanding the national network of dual-track railways is a significant part of Thailand’s overall infrastructure upgrade and development. The Kingdom is also building high-speed rail lines, expanding airports and deep-sea ports, as well as expanding and improving highways.

The overall infrastructure plan is expected to require an investment of between $60 billion and $100 billion. Public-private partnerships will be the main mode of investment.

The goal is to increase Thailand’s connectivity, increase trade and commerce, and support Thailand 4.0, the 20-year national strategy to create an economy driven by innovation, higher and green technologies.

Photo courtesy of www.bangkokpost.com