Cabinet approval to be sought for including force majeure clause in high-speed rail contract
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office will seek the Cabinet’s nod for a proposed amendment to the high-speed railway contract linking three airports that would allow the contractor to be treated leniently in case of a delay caused by force majeure.
EEC secretary-general Jula Sukmanop said on Wednesday that the amendment would facilitate Asia Era One Co Ltd, the concessionaire of the Don Mueang-Suvarnabhumi-U-Tapao high-speed railway, to begin work. Construction work is yet to begin as the company was still awaiting approval of investment privileges from the Board of Investment.
Jula said the office estimated the project to be completed a year behind schedule.
He said construction would take four years and if work were to begin next year, the high-speed railway would begin operations in 2028 instead of 2027 as originally planned.
Separately, Jula said that the EEC had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Nation-Building Institute (NBI), an agency under the Interior Ministry to promote the development of personnel from the public and private sectors, as well as the civil society in fields that are highly sought after by industries in the EEC area.
“The MoU includes joint training programmes between the EEC, the NBI and partners for both the short- and long-term, covering both domestic and overseas destinations to ensure adequate supply of skilled personnel for the EEC,” he said.
The MoU also seeks to attract investment for the development of communities in the EEC areas to ensure that they are self-sustainable and capable of future development using innovation generated by industries in the EEC, he added.
