'Phiphat' discussed solutions for the Airport Rail Link, assuring the public that service will not be affected after 30 September. CP will continue operations for another 4 months, collecting revenue based on actual ridership, before an SRT subsidiary takes over operation.
On 14 September 2026, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Transport, revealed that following Asia Erawan Co., Ltd. (a CP Group affiliate) requesting to terminate the contract for the high-speed rail project connecting three airports and to cease Airport Rail Link services on 30 September, the contract management committee chaired by Anan Pho-nimdang, Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), and Piyapong Jiwattanakulpaisan, Director General of the Department of Highways and chair of the SRT board, reported on SRT's plan to continue Airport Rail Link service beyond 30 September. An official letter will be sent to CP to reconvene a meeting before finalizing a proposal to the project oversight committee and reporting to the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee (EEC PC). The principle is that SRT will hire Asia Erawan to operate the service for another 4 months (1 Oct 2026 - 30 Jan 2027), after which an SRT subsidiary will take over to ensure no disruption to passengers.
Regarding the extension of private operation for 4 months after the contract ends on 30 September, SRT will not hire Asia Erawan under the previously proposed fixed management fee of 60 million baht per month. Instead, the private operator will collect and manage fare revenue as usual. Previously, the private company earned about 50 million baht monthly from ticket sales, with operating expenses around 20 million baht per month, excluding maintenance costs. This explains the basis for the 60 million baht monthly management fee originally proposed by the private operator.
Concerning the private operator's request to withdraw a performance bond of 1,067 million baht as per the MOU—representing 10% of the contract value of 10,671 million baht—SRT will allow withdrawal of the original bond. However, for the extended 4-month operation, the private operator must provide a new performance bond of 535 million baht to SRT. SRT considers this a good solution consistent with previous resolutions, not a change in principle. Regarding the private company's offer to hand over the trains in their current condition before returning them to SRT, SRT insists on inspecting the trains prior to acceptance.
Anan Pho-nimdang, Governor of SRT, stated that SRT will send a formal letter to Asia Erawan, the contract party, to confirm details officially, expected within 1-2 days. Regarding safety readiness before the handover, SRT will thoroughly inspect the condition of trains, systems, and infrastructure, with Siemens—the train manufacturer—continuing to check train readiness. Simultaneously, SRT will assign personnel to inspect infrastructure and systems to ensure continuous service.