The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced that the high-speed rail (HSR) project connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports will commence operations by the end of 2024.
The Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao HSR is a proposed project that will link Bangkok's two airports with the U-Tapao airport in Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor. This rail link will connect to Bangkok's largest railway stations, Bang Sue Grand Station and Makkasan, and will include a stop in Pattaya, allowing travel from Bangkok to this popular beachside city in under an hour. It will be operated by the Eastern High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Company Limited. The railway will span 220 km on a standard-gauge track, with trains reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h in the urban area between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi, and up to 250 km/h between Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao.
Initially proposed in 2013 as an HSR to Pattaya, the project was expanded to include U-Tapao in Rayong as part of the Eastern Economic Corridor railway. In 2017, the line was extended from Makkasan to Don Mueang, creating a three-airport connection. The THB224.5 billion (US$ 6.1 billion) contract for the project was awarded to Asia Era One, a consortium led by CP Group, in 2018.