The Transport Ministry says Thailand has not decided whether to lower the maximum speed of the 670km Thai-Japanese high-speed train route stretching from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. The statement was released after Japanese media reported that the Bangkok-Chiang Mai Shinkansen-like bullet train could have its maximum speed lowered in a bid to reduce the cost, which contradicts a Japanese study. According to the Transport Ministry, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) later conducted a study on the first phase of the high-speed train, from Bangkok to Phitsanulok, in December 2015 and completed it in November last year. The fare for travelling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai or vice versa will cost just over 1,000 baht. If there is land development along the route, the train will handle 29,000 passengers per trip per day in 2025.

Source: Bangkok Post January 27, 2018 22:30 UTC