
BANGKOK -- Japan estimates that construction of a shinkansen-style bullet train would cost the Thai government 420 billion baht ($12.9 billion), a price Bangkok may not be willing to pay.
Japan's State Minister of Transport Takao Makino handed a report to Thai Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith on Thursday for a 670km bullet train running from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, estimating the project's profitability and economic impact on surrounding areas.