Japan and Germany are interested in investing in Thailand’s new project to build a factory to assemble trains, said Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn.

At this point, he said, the location of the train-assembling factory is likely to be in the Northeast, possibly Nakhon Ratchasima or Khon Kaen.

The project is expected to be submitted to the cabinet for endorsement by the end of this year, he said.

Seeing an opportunity to serve as train-assembling site to train-making countries it is purchasing electric trains from, the government has come up with this project, he said.

Thailand is ordering electric trains from Japan, Austria, Turkey and Germany, he said.

“The country will require at least 500 new electric trains, or about 2,000 train carriages, while auto part-making factories in the country are capable of supplying train parts to those companies that will operate a train-assembling factory here,” he said.

Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) chief executive officer Surapong Laoha-unya found this train-assembling factory proposal interesting, saying several electric rail lines in the country are close to being finished, while the demand for new electric trains in Asean continues to grow.