Thailand signs four agreements with China on development of high speed train project

[hobobo]

13 hours ago, Toshiba66 said:

Put that money into education and hope for the best.  Clearly those making these decisions missed out.

And end up like the "tablet for every school child" farce. And that was with the Chinese as well - don't Thais ever  learn from their mistakes? Oh I forgot, they never  make any!

[AhFarangJa]

A Glimpse into the future............

 

[Dave67]

I've posted these pictures for some of the TV railway enthusiasts like Ricardo and Justgrazing amongst others and will be a glimpse what building a railway is all about. After 30 year career in Rail Industry including 3 High speed rail projects in China and Taiwan and 250km Malaysia double tracking project.I still get a sense of achievement when people I've trained achieve something themselves. Picture are from last night 6/7 Night shift on Doha Metro First back to back crossings on the project Slab track system similar to Shinkansen with High speed features completion of build before grouting tonight, Had these blokes for a month Rumanias finest

Edited September 7, 2017 by Dave67

[holy cow cm]

Laying in bed with the devil all the while thinking he wants nothing, but in reality at one point the devil gonna say Flip over biatch, I gonna hit your highway! Huge mistake.

[Ossy]

1 hour ago, Mansell said:

I see all the Thai bashers came out of their holes in the ground. Probably the same people who bashed the Skytrain etc. I look forward to zooming from Korat to BKK in just over an hour. If they don't do anything they get bashed, and when they are doing something they get bashed. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Go Thailand!

You have a point, there, Mansell, but I see all the 'damning' having the same root cause - an education system so poor that it that almost promotes the incompetence and lethargy that are all too much in evidence, in the 'doers' and the 'don't doers' respectively. Too many Thais simply need to mend their attitudes towards putting in a skilled and committed day's work.

[NextStationBangkok]

There is no other way Junta regime have a chance to please China to keep their grip of power with their support, while western world is looking for democracy.

 

Thailand is turning into another Burma or Cambodia. Soon they will be come convert the Thai population into another cheap labor available elsewhere, while Chinese will come and take over Thailand.

[Ossy]

9 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

Spend the money on education?  220,000 college grads currently unemployed in Thailand!

Can't we have an 'efficient' public transport system as well as 'effective' education . . . both E-words concentrating on nothing more complicated than producing something that is fit for purpose . . . nothing more - nothing less.

[Ricardo]

53 minutes ago, Ossy said:

Spend a day in England . . . you'll soon learn who T, D & H are!    Seriously, though,  'every T, D & H' means ANYBODY

 

Thomas, Richard & Harold  ...  aka Uncle Tom Cobbley and All !

[sawadee1947]

wow and now uncle Prayut will get his toy....

[Ossy]

8 hours ago, HHTel said:

China to the UK is 7,500 mile jump.  Another 150 mile extension into Thailand is a drop in the ocean.

 

Only if they've got their roadmap  rail-map seriously wrong . . . Nak-Rat is NE of Bangkok . . . I think

Edited September 7, 2017 by Ossy
clarity

[Ricardo]

19 minutes ago, Ossy said:

 Too many Thais simply need to mend their attitudes towards putting in a skilled and committed day's work.

 

But they do, every week, without fail !

 

To be fair, Thais are very good at making-do, bodging things to-fit, and that should be respected.  But perhaps the tropical-heat means one has to work in a different way, from those of us trying to keep warm, in Northern-climes ?

 

However on a heavy-freight railway meant to last a century-or-more, there is no substitute for doing the job properly, I remember the runways at Swampy not needing to be up-to full international-standards because the weather is never freezing here, but a landing B744/A388 still goes 'thump' with the same ferocity !

 

Youtube has some interesting stuff on Eddie Stobart Rail's maintenance-team, if anyone else find this stuff interesting  ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvyeMPkTp6I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT8qvO3CMwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wu6hvUEc0

 

 

[12DrinkMore]

2 hours ago, Mansell said:

I see all the Thai bashers came out of their holes in the ground. Probably the same people who bashed the Skytrain etc. I look forward to zooming from Korat to BKK in just over an hour. If they don't do anything they get bashed, and when they are doing something they get bashed. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Go Thailand!

 

 Suvarnabumi is another example of Thai bashing; never be finished, constant floods, runway would never last etc etc.

 

In the meantime, back in the UK, how's that Brexit thing going.....

 

 

[chainarong]

13 hours ago, 12DrinkMore said:

- I can go along with the detailed engineering for USD 53,000,000, or USD 212,000 for each kilometer of track.

 

- but who are all these advisors running at USD 106,000,000, or USD 424,000 for each kilometer?

 

- And what is the price for each physical kilometer of track?

 

Sounds like there will be a few Benz's and mia nois involved somewhere.

The 2012 cost per Kilometre to lay H/S perway in China was 20 million so what would be different here in Thailand , bankrupt the country with this idea.

[BuaBS]

They should have mentioned who is who in the picture . I just see 2 Chinese dudes shaking hands.

[Ossy]

1 hour ago, Ricardo said:

But they do, every week, without fail !

By 'they', don't you really mean 'some'? Like you, I see evidence of Thais putting in a good shift, every week and sometimes, impressively so. But, as I said in my post, too many Thais don't and I'm standing by that.

 

Really enjoyed the Stobart rail engineering clips. So good they're now in my 'favourites'! I used to live near Carlisle aerodrome, where he was based for a time, during one of their 'difficult periods', but had no idea they'd applied their logistics expertise to such a specialised field as rail track engineering. They must have found and recruited more than a few tech brains and project managers for that work.

 

Excellent stuff. Let's hope that the Thai HS rail project benefits from similar quality input. Yes, I know . . . I'm an incurable optimist

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Ricardo said:

What will be interesting to learn is ....

... how China just got an almost Bt2 billion increase in its design and supervision contract from Bt1.6 billion to Bt3.5 billion. If there was ever a Thai government model contract that represents the deliberate obliteration of transparency and accountability, it's this dual rail project.

PS: Coincidentally, the budget shortfall for local organisations’ healthcare could hit Bt2 billion. https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/996133-budget-shortfall-for-local-organisations’-healthcare-could-hit-bt2-billion-ministry/?tab=comments#comment-12158507

Where will the government find the additional funds?

 

Edited September 7, 2017 by Srikcir
add PS

[Mansell]

2 hours ago, 12DrinkMore said:

 

 Suvarnabumi is another example of Thai bashing; never be finished, constant floods, runway would never last etc etc.

 

In the meantime, back in the UK, how's that Brexit thing going.....

 

 

Good comment.

[Mickmouse1]

Does that mean the Southern dilapidated Railway system is not going to be developed or upgraded? 

Southern Thailand deserve more attention or else.?

[zydeco]

12 hours ago, Chris Lawrence said:

"Chinese debt is so bad that even Chinese bankers now say it's a 'bubble'" https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/chinese-debt-bad-even-chinese-200000552.html

 

So where is the money coming from? Thai banks may handle some but I suspect overseas money will flow in.

 

So they signed an agreement to build a railway but investigations are still in process? Environment Impact works? Thais may be pushing the cart with Chinese donkey siting in the cart.

Thailand is borrowing Chinese government money so that they can pay Chinese businesses that are backed by the Chinese government. The same thing is going on in other countries involved in the Chinese Silk Road boondoggle. If a few of those countries default, the Chinese economy will disappear into a black hole.

[natway09]

Would have liked to see a fraction of this cost used to upgrade the existing routes so the poor people

still can use a rail service

[thongplay]

14 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

The only thing I can guarantee about this project - if it ever is completed, and I'll be safely back in the UK then I think - is that within a year or less there will be a fatal train wreck due to an idiot in a pick up thinking he can get across before the train comes ! 

"Safely back in UK". UK is in a total mess and trying to extricate itself from EU after the Brexit referendum. Also UK is a prime target for WW3 -  I'd tather stay here in Thailand which is what I'll be doing.

[Godang]

4 hours ago, sawadee1947 said:

wow and now uncle Prayut will get his toy....

His personal transport from Home to office in 1 hour.

[Godang]

2 hours ago, Srikcir said:

... how China just got an almost Bt2 billion increase in its design and supervision contract from Bt1.6 billion to Bt3.5 billion. If there was ever a Thai government model contract that represents the deliberate obliteration of transparency and accountability, it's this dual rail project.

PS: Coincidentally, the budget shortfall for local organisations’ healthcare could hit Bt2 billion. https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/996133-budget-shortfall-for-local-organisations’-healthcare-could-hit-bt2-billion-ministry/?tab=comments#comment-12158507

Where will the government find the additional funds?

 

Up the tax on coca cola type drinks and alcohol from 16 September. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

Of course, as was announced a couple of days ago, the start of the BKK-Korat line will be delayed ten months due to survey requirements....... hi speed train low speed project?

[Ricardo]

2 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Of course, as was announced a couple of days ago, the start of the BKK-Korat line will be delayed ten months due to survey requirements....... hi speed train low speed project?

 

No, I'm afraid you're mistaken, that was the SRT's metre-gauge track-doubling from Jira-Junction to Khorat, four km of which will now run through Khorat as an elevated-railway, the medium-speed Chinese-Thailand heavy-freight standard-gauge line is a totally different project.

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30324593

 

3 hours ago, Mickmouse1 said:

Does that mean the Southern dilapidated Railway system is not going to be developed or upgraded? 

Southern Thailand deserve more attention or else.?

 

No, in fact the SRT's metre-gauge track-doubling project continues, and the contract for the next section from Hua-Hin to Prachuap was very-recently awarded to Ital-Thai.

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/994776-italian-thai-win-contract-for-dual-track-train-project-linking-hua-hin-and-prajuab-building-to-start-september/

 

[BuaBS]

8 hours ago, Godang said:

11 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Where will the government find the additional funds?

 

Up the tax on coca cola type drinks and alcohol from 16 September. 

Yinglucks 3,5 billion ....

[rosst]

19 hours ago, OnTheRun said:

If it is anything like the Chinese HST network it will be for the most part elevated.

The Chinese high speed rail is built on large concrete I beams from one end of the country to the other. 

They are excellent and the railcars superb they run to the minute and are inexpensive. 

The bridges and tunnels are massive and well done. 

Personal observation and experience. 

[Jim7777]

They need to sign the contract with Tokyo, Japan makes the best Subway Train system in the world at least from what I've seen anyway.  Even New York City's Subway is modeled after Japan's.  The Washington, D.C. Metro is pretty good to but it doesn't cover enough ground outside of D.C. such as in the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas.  Japan has an awesome Subway system.  They're probably going with China because China is probably doing it cheaper but you get what you pay for I just hope that Thailand doesn't learn that the hard way.  I'd really hate to see an accident happen.  I really wish they'd sign the contract with Japan instead.  They have a good Subway system in Seoul, Korea to but I think Korea's Subway system is probably modeled after Japan's as well.  They both are very similar.  

Edited September 7, 2017 by Jim7777

[Jim7777]

16 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Of course, as was announced a couple of days ago, the start of the BKK-Korat line will be delayed ten months due to survey requirements....... hi speed train low speed project?

That'll be awesome when they build the train from Korat to Bangkok!  When they finish that project we will be traveling a lot more.  I just wish they'd go with Japan's Subway system and not China's.  Japan has the best Subway system I've ever seen in the world besides New York City's train system.  

[Jim7777]

18 hours ago, zydeco said:

Thailand is borrowing Chinese government money so that they can pay Chinese businesses that are backed by the Chinese government. The same thing is going on in other countries involved in the Chinese Silk Road boondoggle. If a few of those countries default, the Chinese economy will disappear into a black hole.

I'd prefer to see them use Japan's model.