The contract for the Purple Line is jointly held by Marubeni Corp and Toshiba Corp., which hope to complete the transfer of 21 train sets and 63 carriages by January 2016. They will provide the full package, including rolling stock, power supply, signaling, control and communication systems. The rolling stock was manufactured by Japan Transport Engineering Co. of the East Japan Railway Co.

In July 2015, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed an agreement with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to build two railway projects in Thailand, including a high-speed link between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Not to neglect Beijing, the Thai government also signed a deal in late August for the 867-km-long China-Thailand Railway. The project, which was approved after several delayed negotiations and multiple plan changes, is designed to connect the two nations. It also will link Thailand's Nong Khai province to the eastern Rayong province and the national capital. As part of the renegotiation, planners cut down the travel speed to 180 km an hour from the proposed 250 km an hour to save on cost.

The China-Thailand Railway contract was awarded to the Southeast Asia Co. of China Railway Construction Corp., and an inter-governmental framework agreement between the two countries is set to be signed in September. The company’s general manager, Zhu Xijun, said the project will be completed in three years.

Meanwhile, in the Philipines, Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Minoru Kiuchi recently came up with a pledge for a $2-billion loan that would support a commuter-rail line connecting the national capital of Manila to a neighboring province. The proposed North-South Commuter Rail Project, Phase 1, will involve building a 36.7-km, narrow-gauge elevated commuter railway from Malolos City in Bulacan province to the heart of Manila, according to the Philippine Dept. of Foreign Affairs.

Railway Diplomacy

For China, winning rail jobs over Japan is about more than healthy business competition: China wants to deny its rival access to new markets and enhance its own influence around the world.

“Some governments like to spend their resources on fighting wars. I think building a railway is far more meaningful than fighting wars. I believe the priority of the Chinese government is to serve the people. If other governments can also make serving the people a priority, this railroad will become a reality,” said Wang Mengshu, a senior official with the China Railway Ministry.

In addition to railway work abroad, the Chinese government on Sept. 9 approved two more domestic rail projects, which are worth a combined $11.6 billion.