via Bangkok Post, 24 February 2024: The Transport Ministry of Thailand has confirmed that the new high-speed rail development will not affect the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ayutthaya. Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote clarified concerns by stating the railway station would be situated 1.5km away from the heritage zone, with a river further separating the two. A heritage impact assessment conducted by Silpakorn University and the State Railway of Thailand ensures the project’s compliance with preservation standards, drawing parallels with successful integrations of high-speed railways near heritage sites in Japan and Germany.
Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote yesterday answered the queries of Tawiwong Totawiwong, Move Forward Party MP for Ayutthaya, over the possible impact of the project on the Historic City of Ayutthaya which was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1991.
Mr Surapong said that a heritage impact assessment (HIA) was carried out by the State Railway of Thailand and Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Archaeology to ease the concern of Unesco and people about the impact of the project.
“I insist that the railway station will not be located in the world heritage zone but 1.5km away. There’s also the Pa Sak River interposing between the city and the site, so it is impossible for the city to expand that way,” he said.
