The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is confident of reaching a final agreement with the CP Group affiliate and firmly asserts that there will be no shutdown of the Airport Rail Link after 30 September 2026. They have also prepared a backup plan to have SRT's subsidiary immediately take over management if the private operator withdraws.
Anan Phonnimdaeng, Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), revealed that Asia Erawan Co., Ltd., a CP Group affiliate managing the Airport Rail Link operations, has submitted a letter to SRT requesting to cease operations on 30 September 2026. The SRT management has presented the private company's proposals to the SRT board for consideration.
The private company’s proposals are divided into four main points: requesting 60 million baht per month for operational management fees over four months, totaling more than 240 million baht; the condition to cease operations if legal action occurs; willingness to continue operations only if the private company pays more than one billion baht as an operational management guarantee to SRT; and the condition to hand over the rail assets in their current condition.
The SRT board has decided to accept only one point—the increased payment of the operational management guarantee. The other three points are unacceptable. They resolved to separate negotiations on operational management for an additional four months under a new memorandum of understanding (MOU). This will be submitted to the project management committee and then to the Airport Rail Link project oversight committee, chaired by Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Jiraphong Theppitak, for consolidation and recommendation to the Ministry of Transport. The process aims to reach a conclusion before 30 September. The SRT firmly confirms that under no circumstances will there be a shutdown ending the Airport Rail Link service.
Anan further explained the contingency plan in case the private operator refuses to continue running the Airport Rail Link. SRT has preliminarily prepared a backup plan to assign its subsidiary, SRT Electric Train Co., Ltd., which has expertise and previous operational experience, to take over immediately.
Regarding preparedness, they plan to recruit about 350 experienced personnel from the private company to support operations. They will also propose a budget adjustment for fiscal year 2027 to cover operational costs and personnel salaries if management transitions after the initial four-month period. Additionally, SRT plans to increase the number of Eastern suburban trains and add passenger carriages to provide supplementary options for commuters during the transition, especially while the Airport Rail Link faces technical issues related to wheel wear.
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