My view is different. I believe the project has reached a point of no return. There have been serious delays, COVID changed the economics dramatically, construction costs increased and financing became much more complicated than anybody expected when the original agreement was signed.
And now, in August 2026, negotiations between the government and the CP-led private partner have become difficult again. CP has even formally raised its contractual right to terminate. That sounds dramatic, but the government is still talking with the private sector and the project itself has certainly not disappeared.
Personally, I still believe it will happen. If you ask me for a prediction rather than an official government timetable, I would say we could finally see meaningful construction activity beginning around the first quarter of 2027.
I may have to eat those words later, but that is where I would put my money today.
Why does it matter to Pattaya?
The railway is designed to connect Bangkok with the Eastern Economic Corridor through Chonburi, Pattaya and U-Tapao, with trains capable of speeds up to 250 km/h. The concept is simple: bring Bangkok and the EEC much closer together in practical travel time.
That changes more than airport travel. It brings people, businesses, investment and employment closer together. Pattaya becomes easier to reach from Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi, while the whole Eastern Seaboard becomes more connected to the capital.
But from a property point of view, I don't think every location benefits equally. Pattaya itself is already a mature market. Values in many prime areas have risen substantially over the years, so I don't expect a railway station suddenly to transform the city.
U-Tapao will obviously benefit enormously in terms of infrastructure and economic activity, but personally I don't see the immediate airport surroundings becoming the Eastern Seaboard's most attractive residential environment.
For me, the more interesting opportunity is Bangsaray.
Why Bangsaray?
Bangsaray still has something Pattaya increasingly struggles to offer: room to grow. It has coastline, quality resorts, established residential communities and considerably more space for thoughtful development. It is also positioned between Pattaya and the expanding U-Tapao/EEC area.
That combination matters. If better infrastructure gradually brings more employment, international businesses and connectivity southward, people will still ask the same basic question at the end of the working day: where do I actually want to live?
For many, I believe Bangsaray will become an increasingly attractive answer.
That does not mean every piece of land in Bangsaray will suddenly double in value. Property does not work like that. Location within the location still matters, quality matters, access matters, views matter and, as always, buying at the right price matters.
But if you ask me where I see the greatest room for future residential absorption and appreciation along this part of the Eastern Seaboard, Bangsaray would be high on my list.
We have heard delays before
Major infrastructure projects rarely travel in a straight line, and this one has certainly proved that. COVID changed passenger forecasts, financing conditions and construction economics. Governments changed, negotiations dragged on and deadlines moved repeatedly.
The latest disagreement with CP is another serious hurdle, not something I would dismiss. But Thailand has already invested too much planning, political capital and EEC strategy into connecting Bangkok, Pattaya and U-Tapao for the underlying need to disappear.
So when people ask me whether I still believe in the three-airport high-speed railway, my answer remains very simple: yes, one hundred percent.
The more difficult question is not if, but when. And my bet today is that 2027 will finally be the year when we begin to see the answer.