Surachet announced good news that the private sector has conceded on conditions related to the Airport Rail Link, ending the practice of holding the public hostage. The MOU extension for four months was approved, allowing the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to continue management.
On 18 Sep 2026 at the Parliament, Surachet Praveenwongwut, a party-list MP from the Prachachon Party and chairman of the subcommittee studying and monitoring major transportation infrastructure projects, revealed the outcome of a meeting on resolving issues with the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link. Key parties, including the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Asia Era One Co., Ltd., along with related agencies, were invited to provide explanations and seek joint solutions.
Surachet stated that following the private sector's proposal on 8 Sep 2026, there were highly concerning conditions, especially allowing the private company to terminate operations if the state exercised legal rights in court. This amounted to using the public as hostages to pressure the government not to enforce legal rights. The subcommittee convened a meeting to resolve this issue.
The good news is that the meeting atmosphere was constructive, and the private sector expressed willingness to withdraw the unfair conditions, including prohibitions on the state exercising legal rights, monthly subsidies, guarantee amounts, and preparations for transition. This is a positive sign toward finding a joint solution to avoid inconveniencing the public due to service suspension and unnecessary impact on taxpayers' money.
The meeting reached consensus on three main points:
1. Reject previous proposal (8 Sep 2026): SRT will not accept the original private sector proposal and will expedite negotiations for a new agreement to be completed by 30 Sep 2026. The firm stance is to prevent any public inconvenience from service disruption.
2. Extend original MOU by 4 months: The original MOU framework will be followed with a four-month extension until 31 Jan 2027. This gives SRT Electric Train Company Limited sufficient time to prepare to take over Airport Rail Link management.
3. Actual and transparent compensation: Complex and hidden conditions on returns and guarantees are canceled. The state will compensate the private sector only for actual proven expenses resulting from uncontrollable contract factors, in accordance with government regulations and for public benefit only.
"Based on the meeting atmosphere, this matter is likely to conclude well if all parties follow the agreed terms. The private sector will submit a new proposal based on the original MOU. The subcommittee will closely monitor the document details before the 30 Sep deadline to ensure a smooth transition and protect the public's best interests," Surachet said. Surachet added.