Surachet, a People’s Party MP, warns the government not to let the private sector hold Airport Rail Link passengers hostage after proposing a 4-month operation deal in exchange for dropping legal cases related to the high-speed rail linking three airports. He criticizes the longstanding problems and the government's lack of a response plan.
On 12 September 2026, Mr. Surachet Praveenwongwut, a party-list MP for the People’s Party and chairman of the Transport Subcommittee studying major infrastructure projects in the House of Representatives, spoke about management issues with the Airport Rail Link (ARL) between the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Asia Erawan Company Limited, ahead of the original memorandum of understanding (MOU) expiring on 30 September 2026.
Mr. Surachet stated that according to the latest information, on 8 September Asia Erawan Company Limited sent a letter to the SRT Governor proposing a temporary 4-month operation period (1 October 2026 to 31 January 2027). Then on 10 September, the SRT board met but had not reached a conclusion on the private sector’s proposal. On 11 September, the Prime Minister, Minister of Transport, and SRT held discussions at the Thai Khu Fah building. Initially, some negotiation points remain, but all matters must be settled before 30 September, when the original MOU expires, which would affect public service.
Mr. Surachet said that reviewing the draft proposal from the private sector reveals three dangerous conditions that could disadvantage the state and cause unnecessary financial burdens:
1. The private sector offers to cover operating costs for the 4 months, claiming it is "for public benefit," but reserves the right to later claim the shortfall from SRT if expenses exceed income, without any ceiling, no cost verification mechanism, and no clear time limit.
2. SRT must immediately return the original guarantee amounting to 1.067 billion baht to the private sector once the MOU ends, and then post a new guarantee whose value has yet to be agreed upon.
3. The private sector claims the right to immediately cancel services if SRT files lawsuits or legal actions related to the joint investment dispute over the high-speed rail linking three airports or demands any guarantees.
Mr. Surachet added that the private sector’s condition allowing service termination if the state exercises legal rights effectively holds passengers hostage, pressuring the state not to enforce contract law, which is unacceptable in public service agreements. The most concerning issue is that both SRT and the SRT Electric Train Company lack readiness to manage operations themselves, despite the government knowing the MOU would end on 30 September and that the high-speed rail deal had long been troubled, yet no contingency plan was prepared.
Furthermore, Mr. Surachet emphasized that if the government concedes and sets such a precedent, it will severely harm future infrastructure concession management, especially the Green Line concession ending in 2029, which is much more complex. On 18 September, the Transport Subcommittee will hold a meeting to closely monitor and question related agencies on resolving this issue.
"The government has known all along that the MOU expires on 30 September, so why is there no Plan B, especially since problems with the three-airport rail deal have been known for a long time? Allowing the private sector to impose conditions that pressure the state by holding public transportation hostage is unacceptable. The government must clearly explain what backup plans exist that do not involve sacrificing national interests just to solve immediate problems," he said.