CP agrees to continue operating the Airport Rail Link for 4 months after sending a letter to SRT consenting to provide service beyond 30 Sep, with three conditions: requesting a 240 million baht subsidy and prohibiting lawsuits, with immediate suspension of service if disputes arise.
Mr. Anant Phohnimdaeng, Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). He revealed that Asia Erawan Company Limited (a CP affiliate), which holds the concession for the three-airport high-speed rail project and operates the Airport Rail Link, had sent a letter to SRT requesting to cease operating the Airport Rail Link on 30 Sep. The Ministry of Transport has been trying to find a solution, and recently, on 8 Sep, Asia Erawan replied to SRT agreeing to continue operating the Airport Rail Link for an additional 4 months but with conditions. Today (9 Sep), he and Mr. Piyapong Jiwattanakulpaisan, Director-General of the Department of Highways and Chairman of the SRT Board, reported and discussed the way forward before presenting the matter to the SRT board meeting on 10 Sep.
The temporary consent to operate by the private company comes with three important proposals and conditions:
Clear contract separation. The 4-month extension must not be linked to the issue where the company reserves the right to terminate the main high-speed rail project contract connecting the three airports.
Suspension of service if disputes arise. If any lawsuits or legal disputes occur between the two parties, the company will immediately cease operating the service.
Request for management support. They request SRT to support the operating management budget at 60 million baht per month, covering water, electricity, and utility expenses, totaling 240 million baht over the 4-month period (1 Oct 2026 – 30 Jan 2027).
Mr. Anant stated that the conditions proposed by Asia Erawan have already been reported to the Minister of Transport, and details will be compiled and submitted to the SRT board meeting for consideration. Mr. Piyapong Jiwattanakulpaisan as Chairman of the SRT Board will consider ways to resolve the issue.
"SRT believes that operating responsibility during this period remains with the original private contractor, especially before the 30 Sep deadline. Actions after that must carefully consider the main contract's details. However, providing Airport Rail Link service remains a public service duty of the Ministry of Transport to ensure the public is not affected. Regarding the private company's request to terminate the main contract, there are established procedures and processes in the contract to handle this."
Regarding the company's condition to stop service if lawsuits arise, whether this is a threat or not, this is not a threat but a statement of the company's rights. Meanwhile, SRT's duty is to protect public interest and prevent disruption to the public. Both parties have been negotiating continuously and must continue discussions to resolve outstanding disagreements."
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