High speed rail: Pattaya to Bangkok in well under an hour - around 300 baht!

[Airbagwill]

Basically with 10 stops if they do that on the journey, that about 50 minutes stopping?

 

 

I think it's an interesting idea, but I feel little thought has gone into the extra traffic it will generate and development of housing and industry around it.

 

people will be losing their rural retreats and wake up to find themsleve in the middle of a huge housing estate or worse, industrial estate.

[uffe123]

Why build a train when there will not be any riders? Who want to go to cesspool Pattya?

[Ossy]

What the junta seem reluctant to admit, prior to commissioning the HS train, is the likely downturn in tourism - especially the no-smoking, no-sexing, no-enjoying yourself Pattaya kind - that is going to accompany the next year or maybe two years of electioneering and possible street protests, if not all-out civil war. Not a good time to visit Thailand and especially not a good time to be one of the brave souls that takes the inaugural ride on this banana-shaped death-trap.

[jgarbo]

3 hours ago, HLover said:

Appreciate the map in Thai language only, makes me feel so informed.

Learn Thai?

[jgarbo]

3 minutes ago, Ossy said:

What the junta seem reluctant to admit, prior to commissioning the HS train, is the likely downturn in tourism - especially the no-smoking, no-sexing, no-enjoying yourself Pattaya kind - that is going to accompany the next year or maybe two years of electioneering and possible street protests, if not all-out civil war. Not a good time to visit Thailand and especially not a good time to be one of the brave souls that takes the inaugural ride on this banana-shaped death-trap.

No civil war. You need two armies. "No have".

[wealthychef]

3 hours ago, HLover said:

Appreciate the map in Thai language only, makes me feel so informed.

 

You do realize this is Thailand, right?  LOL

[mrfill]

52 minutes ago, CGW said:

Where do you get the 220 km from? its around 170 by road if I remember correctly. Not going to be a smooth journey whatever the distance!

Google maps says Don Muang to u_tapao is 206km

[impulse]

1 hour ago, peterquixote said:

You can not run that train for 300 bahts to Pattaya,

3000 baht and it would still run at a loss.

The high speed trains on the east coast China run at a loss

 with millions of people.

 

If they're smart, they will be making so much money buying up and leasing out the real estate near the stations to more than cover the fare shortfall.  Buy at today's price and lease it out forever at the price of land near a mass transit station.   And they'd also add a highway or fuel tax to make the car drivers pay for the convenience of less crowded roads they should be enjoying because fewer people will be driving and taking kamikaze buses- taking the train instead.  Along with an increase in hotel and other tourist taxes because it should be a boom for tourism down there.

 

If only it wouldn't be siphoned off.

 

I wonder what concessions they'll offer up to the state actors who fund the project when they can't make the payments?  I know one state actor that could use some political help with ASEAN on some disputes over some islands they're building...  And isn't shy about demanding it.  (Edit:  and I think that also explains the choice of a bullet train- that's what they're willing to loan money on- creating an outlet for some of their excess capacity and jobs for thousands of their own nationals who will also get preferential treatment for WP's)

 

[wealthychef]

There is no way it's going to be finished on time, run as fast as they say, or be at the price they say.  I predict that they will hit zero of these targets.  But it's a great idea.  

[Bastos60]

2 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

Dreaming,45 min is unrealistic,the train will never reach the speed of 250km/h the distances between the cities are to short,the train needs a while to reach 250 and also needs a while to stop

45 min is indeed unrealistic between Bangkok and Rayong, but it is complete nonsense they can never reach 250km/h,  they don't even need 2 km of clear track to reach maximum speed and only need 3 km of track to slow down into the next station. Depending on the quality of the railtrack, they will average a speed of 210 km/h on the complete route.  Without delays, suvarnabuhmi airport and pattaya will be doable in +-40 min, including all the stops on the way.

[Stoker58]

Should be finished before the election anyway. Wonder if there'll be level crossings.

[britishrepublican]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Please learn to count. 

No way you can do 220 km in 45 minutes running at 250 km/h,

and even far worse if you have to stop at 7 stations on the way !

Where does it say 220km in 45 mins?

[Henricus]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Please learn to count. 

No way you can do 220 km in 45 minutes running at 250 km/h,

and even far worse if you have to stop at 7 stations on the way !

 

[bkk6060]

8 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

Translation: "We are looking for test dummies."

Why don't you volunteer??

[bkk6060]

30 minutes ago, uffe123 said:

Why build a train when there will not be any riders? Who want to go to cesspool Pattya?

WOW.  Maybe one of the stupidest posts ever.

16 million tourists came just last year........

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Is this a good opportunity to buy some real estate in Pattaya.... or even better Sriracha?

[CGW]

26 minutes ago, mrfill said:

Google maps says Don Muang to u_tapao is 206km

Seems about right, I missed the DM sector out

You would expect the rail link to be shorter than going by road? though I guess it depends who has already bought the land, they may have to make some detours through "friends" lands to lengthen the journey a bit, few detours and U turns should make it interesting!

The saga it will be, when built will never rival when they were planning to build the MRT in Bangkok, 30 years later - they got started, there were so many governments in and out of power back then, when the "new" government took over they would find the previous cowboys had stolen all the money that was supposed to be for building the MRT, it went on & on & on........

[bkk6060]

5 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

Is this a good opportunity to buy some real estate in Pattaya.... or even better Sriracha?

Depends where.

Prices at The Base have jumped about 35% in the last 18 months.

The Chinese love central area.

I think it will take 5 years to catch up because there is so much inventory, but yes, this place in 10 years will be much more expensive.

It is so much cheaper for the Chinese.  They will come and buy in droves.

Will be very interesting to watch. 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Please learn to count. 

No way you can do 220 km in 45 minutes running at 250 km/h,

and even far worse if you have to stop at 7 stations on the way !

What nonsense, of course you can; this is Thailand, where miracles happen daily!

 

Whether you would want to is another question entirely; personally I'd rather ride a kwaay to Pattaya that take a high-speed train driven by a local, on track laid by Burmese - too many chances of 'brake failure'.

[0815]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Please learn to count. 

No way you can do 220 km in 45 minutes running at 250 km/h,

and even far worse if you have to stop at 7 stations on the way !

Even if they shoot the passengers on the train that goes with 250km/H all the way, there are still around 30 kms missing ... 

[HLover]

1 hour ago, jgarbo said:

Learn Thai?

 

1 hour ago, wealthychef said:

 

You do realize this is Thailand, right?  LOL

Yes, to compliment the English language article.  Wise and sage advice.

Anyway, your welcome: 

[SupermarineS6B]

Ha ha, by the time they get around to building this they'll be no reason to go to Pattaya as the Junta will have sanitised it by that time.....     " I've got a good idea, let's close all the night life down then build a new train system that runs there"   mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[spermwhale]

I wouldn't hold my breath. Once a new government comes in, the project will be scrapped or a new round of bidding will ensue. It will only finish if this government can break ground before the next election. Otherwise forget it. 

[spermwhale]

39 minutes ago, 0815 said:

Even if they shoot the passengers on the train that goes with 250km/H all the way, there are still around 30 kms missing ... 

Thais have never been good at math. I used to work at the Nation subediting stories and I'll tell you every time a government spokesperson started rambling off numbers they never ever added up. And unfortunately the reporters were not brave enough to question them or they were too lazy to do the math.

[Xaos]

Dreamers

[essox essox]

5 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Please learn to count. 

No way you can do 220 km in 45 minutes running at 250 km/h,

and even far worse if you have to stop at 7 stations on the way !

this is THAILAND !!!

[8OA8]

2 hours ago, peterquixote said:

You can not run that train for 300 bahts to Pattaya,

3000 baht and it would still run at a loss.

The high speed trains on the east coast China run at a loss

 with millions of people.

Throw the taxi mafia into the equation and it'll be still under construction or consideration for the next 20 years

[wpcoe]

40 minutes ago, HLover said:

 

Yes, to compliment the English language article.  Wise and sage advice.

Anyway, your welcome: 

Thanks for saving me the effort.  I was having problems reading "Bang Sue," and still can't figure out what the blue stop is.

 

Why do you suppose the Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao pegs are not *on* the red line, only near it?

[cookieqw]

im coming out in may where can i buy a ticket ?

[janclaes47]

3 minutes ago, wpcoe said:

Why do you suppose the Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao pegs are not *on* the red line, only near it?

 

My guess would be because there is no existing railway there.

 

At Suvarnabumi you have the airport line that connects to the main rail network, but it ends at the airport.

 

Same at U-Tapao where there is no railway passing by now, so obviously they will upgrade the existing network.