Preparations for first section of Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima high speed rail project finished

[rooster59]

Preparations for first section of Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima high speed rail project finished

Tanakorn Sangiam

 

 

BANGKOK, 23 November 2018 (NNT) - Preparations for the first section of Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima high speed railway project have been finished, said Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. 

He said the 26th joint committee meeting between Thailand and China on the Bangkok - Nong Khai high speed railway project has reached an agreement on Contract Number 2.3 related to the track laying, train operation system installation, and signalling system installation on the 252-kilometer section between Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima as the first phase of the railway. 

The committee has expected the contract to be officially signed in January and has negotiated a cut in the loan interest rate, which was previously offered by the Chinese government from three percent to 2.6 percent. 

He said the Thai authorities are to find contractors for the 11-kilometer section from Sikhio to Kut Chik, with the construction expected to commence next year, while an auction for the third section, the longest 238.5 kilometers track, will be held along with the release of a TOR in January-February 2019. 

The Ministry of Transport is planning to complete the auction process for all contractors by March 2019, which will enable the first phase of construction to be completed in 2021, and operational from 2022. 

The Transport Ministry is concurrently preparing Phase 2 in a distance of 355 kilometers from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai, for which the construction is expected to commence next year.

 

 

-- nnt 2018-11-24

[monkeycu]

I cant wait to see how this huge project will turn into a mega financial disaster 

Brown bags will be exchanged on mass

[RotMahKid]

Everywhere the same quality, with different contractors on the total project.

That is asking for troubles in future.

Edited November 24, 2018 by RotMahKid

[ballpoint]

This thread will become a magnet for the Thai bashers who, it seems, can't bear to see any progress made in the country.  I can remember when the majority of the road from Bangkok to Khorat was single lane in each direction.  It is now at least three lanes each way to Sikhio and dual lane carriageway, with two lane frontage roads each side, the remaining ~40km to Khorat - all free to drive on.  Significant progress is now being made on the toll road between BKK and Khorat as well.  I can also remember when public transport in Bangkok meant taking a bus or taxi.  Now we have multiple BTS, MRT and airport lines.  But, but, but, the Thai's can't do huge projects, and it's all been a mega financial mess!  This high speed train service will be a failure, just like all the others I mentioned, along with the Buri Ram MotoGP!  Pathetic.

[mok199]

Just repair the beaches already.....take care of Thailands natural wonders first...

[cooked]

 Thai people neither want nor need a high speed rail service that they can't afford. Those that will be able to afford it will be flying anyway.

Thailand needs a reliable (double tracks) cheap rail service for passengers and a freight service to take stuff like sugar, rice and cassava off the roads.

As a Farang I have twice taken the train from Buriram to Bangkok, price THB79.- one way. One time for 'Pleasure" and one time because we had a dog with us. Three hours late both times. I can't see any of the people travelling third class being able to afford high speed train fares, I had to think twice about it in Europe.

 

[Blackheart1916]

I hope the word "auction" used in the story has a different meaning than it's common usage in the west. 

[poohy]

I live in Phrachuap and use the train regularly from here to Bangkok.To be fair its cheap and if you catch the right trains i.e that dont get held up so much waiting for others, its pretty much on time.

They are now building a dual track as far as Chumphon  and this will enable things to run quicker and safer, this is what they need not a fast bullet train type thing that the normal folks cant afford  and the one that can, will drive or fly!

 

Not Thai bashing but common sense.... but on the other hand  maybe this option does not require so many brown envelopes  

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, ballpoint said:

 Now we have multiple BTS, MRT and airport lines. 

 

High speed airport line no longer working.

 

What remains is now just an overcrowded commuter line......which happens to extend to the airport.

 

The project as a whole was a disaster and has always run at a loss.

 

Do not forget that you are defending an "ethos" that has stated that Thailand needs to import foreign skilled workers to compensate for its refusal to truly modernise its society.

 

Last year they said they needed 1.6 million skilled workers, now it's 2.3.

 

Its aircraft maintenance "hub" will only be realisable because a foreign agency is setting it up.

 

They have had as much time as Japan to modernise (Japan only started in 1860 and by the 20's they were a world power) and yet they are still "buying in".

 

You are defending an as yet unfulfilled "image".

 

Very.........Thai.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2018 by Enoon

[Ossy]

A high-speed railway in a country that for the past 4 years has been going backwards? Talk about 'learn to walk before you try to run.' Something is sadly wrong with this plan.

[fullcave]

????????????

[Redline]

6 hours ago, ballpoint said:

This thread will become a magnet for the Thai bashers who, it seems, can't bear to see any progress made in the country.  I can remember when the majority of the road from Bangkok to Khorat was single lane in each direction.  It is now at least three lanes each way to Sikhio and dual lane carriageway, with two lane frontage roads each side, the remaining ~40km to Khorat - all free to drive on.  Significant progress is now being made on the toll road between BKK and Khorat as well.  I can also remember when public transport in Bangkok meant taking a bus or taxi.  Now we have multiple BTS, MRT and airport lines.  But, but, but, the Thai's can't do huge projects, and it's all been a mega financial mess!  This high speed train service will be a failure, just like all the others I mentioned, along with the Buri Ram MotoGP!  Pathetic.

What time periods are you talking about?

[phetpeter]

I don't know how it's being laid , but if it was done like the channel rail link, which is basically like the sky train in concrete channels that then sit on the ground on pylon blocks, then it should be built quick and easy, and any number of firms can be involved as it is basically in kit form.

[chainarong]

6 hours ago, cooked said:

 Thai people neither want nor need a high speed rail service that they can't afford. Those that will be able to afford it will be flying anyway.

Thailand needs a reliable (double tracks) cheap rail service for passengers and a freight service to take stuff like sugar, rice and cassava off the roads.

As a Farang I have twice taken the train from Buriram to Bangkok, price THB79.- one way. One time for 'Pleasure" and one time because we had a dog with us. Three hours late both times. I can't see any of the people travelling third class being able to afford high speed train fares, I had to think twice about it in Europe.

 

The problem is that they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars not Baht on a system that only caters for one type of transport, passenger, so the roads after spending hundreds of millions will still be flooded with trucks  

[TEFLKrabi]

7 hours ago, ballpoint said:

This thread will become a magnet for the Thai bashers who, it seems, can't bear to see any progress made in the country.  I can remember when the majority of the road from Bangkok to Khorat was single lane in each direction.  It is now at least three lanes each way to Sikhio and dual lane carriageway, with two lane frontage roads each side, the remaining ~40km to Khorat - all free to drive on.  Significant progress is now being made on the toll road between BKK and Khorat as well.  I can also remember when public transport in Bangkok meant taking a bus or taxi.  Now we have multiple BTS, MRT and airport lines.  But, but, but, the Thai's can't do huge projects, and it's all been a mega financial mess!  This high speed train service will be a failure, just like all the others I mentioned, along with the Buri Ram MotoGP!  Pathetic.

Assuming you live up there, I’m really looking forward to the tollway up to Korat, as long as there’s an exit near Sikhio so I can head eastwards. No more roadblocks and checkpoints. 

[TEFLKrabi]

56 minutes ago, Redline said:

What time periods are you talking about?

10 years ago the road from Sikhio to Buriram was all single track. Now, apart from a few kilometres outside Nang Rong, it’s all dual carriageway.

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, ballpoint said:

This high speed train service will be a failure

A very possible prediction actually.

Not that it won't be built but that it might fail financially.

Prayut tried to get the Chinese government to join the Thai government in a joint venture to finance the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high speed railway project. The Chinese declined, citing the financial risks of the project, ie., prepaying the capital investment and a fair return on investment. For that reason the Chinese instead agreed to loan funds to the Thai government.

Chinese concerns about the project's financial viability may have been in part (if not in whole) due to Prayut invoking Article 44 to dismiss (among several governmental reviews) any economic analysis for project viability. Several Thai economists did in fact question such viability.

[fforest1]

7 hours ago, ballpoint said:

This thread will become a magnet for the Thai bashers who, it seems, can't bear to see any progress made in the country.  I can remember when the majority of the road from Bangkok to Khorat was single lane in each direction.  It is now at least three lanes each way to Sikhio and dual lane carriageway, with two lane frontage roads each side, the remaining ~40km to Khorat - all free to drive on.  Significant progress is now being made on the toll road between BKK and Khorat as well.  I can also remember when public transport in Bangkok meant taking a bus or taxi.  Now we have multiple BTS, MRT and airport lines.  But, but, but, the Thai's can't do huge projects, and it's all been a mega financial mess!  This high speed train service will be a failure, just like all the others I mentioned, along with the Buri Ram MotoGP!  Pathetic.

Thai people dont have the money to pay to ride this high priced toy....Ok make it 100 baht each way and it will be a success..

[Burma Bill]

Will international railway contractors OUTSIDE of Thailand and China be allowed to compete - I BET NOT!

[lincolnshire poacher]

1 hour ago, chainarong said:

The problem is that they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars not Baht on a system that only caters for one type of transport, passenger, so the roads after spending hundreds of millions will still be flooded with trucks  

I believe that this line will eventually finiish up in Kunming and will be used to transport goods from China towards Singapore (or at least that was the intention 5 years ago ). Maybe it will just be a high speed line from the south to north of Khorat as this is being built at the moment

[zzaa09]

43 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

A very possible prediction actually.

Not that it won't be built but that it might fail financially.

Prayut tried to get the Chinese government to join the Thai government in a joint venture to finance the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high speed railway project. The Chinese declined, citing the financial risks of the project, ie., prepaying the capital investment and a fair return on investment. For that reason the Chinese instead agreed to loan funds to the Thai government.

Chinese concerns about the project's financial viability may have been in part (if not in whole) due to Prayut invoking Article 44 to dismiss (among several governmental reviews) any economic analysis for project viability. Several Thai economists did in fact question such viability.

Aside from these realities, one has to consider the general maintenance, upkeep, and updating of such grand civil infrastructures. 

Add: the usual Thai bureaucratic presence, the expected graft and palm-greasing, the general Thai reasoning, and competent training, etc.

 

Doomed to be a failure.

 

[ballpoint]

1 hour ago, Redline said:

What time periods are you talking about?

All over the last 20 years, but obviously each project took a lot less time than that.  For example, the highway between Bangkok and Khorat used to go through Pak Chong, one lane in each direction.  Then they built the bypass, which was originally one lane each direction too.  The fun times I had, stuck behind a line of trucks crawling along, finally passing them one by one, only to have the wife demand we stop at one of the fruit markets along the side of the road.  "What?" I used to say as I zoomed past, pretending not to hear her, and have her seethe away for the rest of the trip.  Our marriage was saved when they eventually changed it to dual lane, and extended the extra lanes to Sikhio, before finally making the whole road three lanes or more in each direction.  It was originally going to be a toll road - the occasional police stations in the central reservation being where the toll booths were planned, but was kept as a free for all.  In more ways than one.

[sjaak327]

11 hours ago, ballpoint said:

This thread will become a magnet for the Thai bashers who, it seems, can't bear to see any progress made in the country.  I can remember when the majority of the road from Bangkok to Khorat was single lane in each direction.  It is now at least three lanes each way to Sikhio and dual lane carriageway, with two lane frontage roads each side, the remaining ~40km to Khorat - all free to drive on.  Significant progress is now being made on the toll road between BKK and Khorat as well.  I can also remember when public transport in Bangkok meant taking a bus or taxi.  Now we have multiple BTS, MRT and airport lines.  But, but, but, the Thai's can't do huge projects, and it's all been a mega financial mess!  This high speed train service will be a failure, just like all the others I mentioned, along with the Buri Ram MotoGP!  Pathetic.

Actually, some of these projects are hardly a success, such as the ARL, which is a downright mess. Even the BTS could be much better if they employ some critical thinking. Such as for instance, why after several decades do the majority of vending machines still don't take paper money ? Even the new vending machines currently being introduced do not accept paper money. SO people have to queue endlessly to even be able to get a ticket. Go to Asoke on a weekday around 18:00 and you see exaclty what I mean. 

 

It has nothing to do with Thai bashing, and everything to do with reality. 

[josephbloggs]

2 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

Actually, some of these projects are hardly a success, such as the ARL, which is a downright mess. Even the BTS could be much better if they employ some critical thinking. Such as for instance, why after several decades do the majority of vending machines still don't take paper money ? Even the new vending machines currently being introduced do not accept paper money. SO people have to queue endlessly to even be able to get a ticket. Go to Asoke on a weekday around 18:00 and you see exaclty what I mean. 

 

It has nothing to do with Thai bashing, and everything to do with reality. 

I think you need to get some perspective.  The ARL has been a massive success (in terms of ridership).  I use it very often and couldn't imagine it not being there.  It is badly run, it is undoubtedly badly run, but it was built, it got done, and it works.

 

The BTS has also been a resounding success.  Yes, the machines not accepting notes is very stupid - it always was.  It was explained in another thread the reason why, but it is still stupid.  I agree with that.

 

But look at where Bangkok was 20 years ago and where it is today.  And look at where it will be in another 4-5 years in terms of infrastructure.  What Bangkok is undertaking is actually unprecedented in all but a few countries: simultaneous construction of a comprehensive mass transit system with numerous lines.  

 

Look at Manila, look at Jakarta, look at HCMC.  And look at Bangkok.  You are nit picking at little flaws in an otherwise excellent overall plan.  I would call that bashing.  Saying what exists is hardly a success is just ridiculous.

Edited November 24, 2018 by josephbloggs

[sjaak327]

43 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

I think you need to get some perspective.  The ARL has been a massive success (in terms of ridership).  I use it very often and couldn't imagine it not being there.  It is badly run, it is undoubtedly badly run, but it was built, it got done, and it works.

 

The BTS has also been a resounding success.  Yes, the machines not accepting notes is very stupid - it always was.  It was explained in another thread the reason why, but it is still stupid.  I agree with that.

 

But look at where Bangkok was 20 years ago and where it is today.  And look at where it will be in another 4-5 years in terms of infrastructure.  What Bangkok is undertaking is actually unprecedented in all but a few countries: simultaneous construction of a comprehensive mass transit system with numerous lines.  

 

Look at Manila, look at Jakarta, look at HCMC.  And look at Bangkok.  You are nit picking at little flaws in an otherwise excellent overall plan.  I would call that bashing.  Saying what exists is hardly a success is just ridiculous.

Oh my god. In terms of ridership ? Is that really the only measure that counts ? It's not hard to obtain a high ridership when there is virtually no competition. The ARL does not do what it was suppose to do, namely a comfortable express train to BKK. in fact, the express trains have been scrapped due to maitenance problems. All that is left is three trains per hour. Did you actually try to take it from BKK to say Ramkhamhaeng with lugguage ? Downright nightmare. We made a run for the doors one station earlier already, and still had to take a few Thais with us, just to get ourselves and our lugguage near the door !

 

Of course, when you exit the train, it is a massive hike to even get to Ramkhamhaeng, just to get a taxi to our intended destination (Sukhumvit, between 38 and 40). Rest assured, it was the first and the last time I ever took that train. Yes it is great for people in say Lat Krabang, or hua Mak to get to the city centre, it might even be of service for people that go all the way to Phayathai with their lugguage, it is a downright nightmare for actual people with luguagge that need to get off in any of the stations in between. Compare it with say the airport link in Hong Kong, and see how much lacking the BKK ARL really is. 

 

Ridiculous or not, I am a very frequent rider of the BTS, for as long as it existed, and it now comes to a point where just taking a taxi in rush hour is quicker. The system is absolutely saturated beyond repair, and nothing is being done about it. No longer trains, no increase in frequency and they keep extending it east and north, without proper measures to actually make it a feasible system. 

 

I am not bashing, I am giving legitimate criticism based upon being a loyal customer of the BTS for 20 years. I understand, some people seem to believe that criticism is equal to bashing, of course it is not, the criticims is uttered in the hope that things will improve. And let's not kid ourselves, when it comes to how these system are operated, they cannot even come close to what Singapore or KL are doing, nowhere near to be honest. Yes the infra is there, and yes it could have been operated so much more efficiently, and that is just a fact. \

 

Just to give you a small example, it took them 14 years !!! to offer people combined MRT/BTS tickets (at least at the BTS for now), and guess what those new vending machines that offer combined tickets, don't take paper money, despite the fact that they are being installed as we speak. And then look at the way they are installed. They had to get separate exit/entry points. It defies believe why they couldn't make those exit/entry points take both type of cards, what remains is utter confusion for the customers and long waits to actually get out of the station. I know, bashing right, using common sense is bashing for some people, give me a break.

Edited November 24, 2018 by sjaak327

[josephbloggs]

48 minutes ago, sjaak327 said:

 

Quote

Oh my god. In terms of ridership ? Is that really the only measure that counts ? It's not hard to obtain a high ridership when there is virtually no competition. The ARL does not do what it was suppose to do, namely a comfortable express train to BKK. in fact, the express train has beens scrapped due to maitenance problems. All that is left is three trains per hour. Did you actually try to take it from BKK to say Ramkhamhaeng with luggage ? Downright nightmare. We made a run for the doors one station earlier already, and still had to take a few Thais with us, just to get ourselves and our lugguage near the door !

I think ridership is a good indication of the success of a transit line, yes.

 

The express train was discontinued due to a lack of ridership, so in that respect that part of it was a failure.  It was too expensive and offered little benefit over the much cheaper City Line.  

 

And there are generally five trains an hour, not three.  In peak times more than that.  It is still not enough though and it is overcrowded.  

 

Quote

Of course, when you exit the train, it is a massive hike to even get to Ramkhamhaeng, just to get a taxi to our intended destination (Sukhumvit, between 38 and 40). Rest assured, it was the first and the last time I ever took that train. Yes it is great for people in say Lat Krabang, or hua Mak to get to the city centre, it might even be of service for people that go all the way to Phayathai with their lugguage, it is a downright nightmare for actual people with luguagge that need to get off in any of the stations in between. Compare it with say the airport link in Hong Kong, and see how much lacking the BKK ARL really is. 

It's a massive hike to Ramkhamhaeng?  The station is right on Ramkhamhaeng Road.  It is literally right on the road with a bridge going to the other side.  How much closer would you like it to be?  

 

If you are coming in to the city at morning rush hour that could be a nightmare, but at other times of the day it is not that bad.

 

Quote

Ridiculous or not, I am a very frequent rider of the BTS, for as long as it existed, and it now comes to a point where just taking a taxi in rush hour is quicker. The system is absolutely saturated beyond repair, and nothing is being done about it. No longer trains, no increase in frequency and they keep extending it east and north, without proper measures to actually make it a feasible system. 

Taking a taxi in rush hour is not quicker.  The BTS is very busy at rush hours, but it is still the best mode of transport.  News just in - mass transit in all major cities is very very crowded at rush hour.  They can't have more frequent headway from what I understand at rush hours.  Could they or should they have longer trains?  Probably, but really it is not that bad on the whole.

 

Quote

I am not bashing, I am giving legitimate criticism based upon being a loyal customer of the BTS for 20 years. I understand, some people seem to believe that criticism is equal to bashing, of course it is not, the criticims is uttered in the hope that things will improve. And let's not kid ourselves, when it comes to how these system are operated, they cannot even come close to what Singapore or KL are doing, nowhere near to be honest. Yes the infra is there, and yes it could have been operated so much more efficiently, and that is just a fact. 

Population of KL, Singapore?  They are efficient systems in much smaller cities.  Bangkok should have integrated ticketing, that is a massive down side, but to call the mass transit systems a failure is ridiculous - they are clearly not.

Edited November 24, 2018 by josephbloggs

[sjaak327]

1 minute ago, josephbloggs said:

The express train was discontinued due to a lack of ridership, so in that respect that part of it was a failure.  It was too expensive and offered little benefit over the much cheaper City Line.  

No it was not, it was scrapped because due to maintenance problems, they were unable to let five trains per hour ride. The express line was all they boosted about of course, and it would have prevented the real lugguage problem I was referring too. Again, try it yourself and see what I am talking about. Downright nightmare. The ridership is so high because it is being used as a way to get into the city. At BKK the trains are half empty, they start to fill up in the stations further down the track. As such it does not serve the purpose of an airport railink at all, it serves a purpose to transport people from Lat Krabang, Hua Mak and others to get to the city centre. Fine with me, but it did not fullfill it's intended purpose, due to sheer mismanagement. nothing more and nothing less.

 

5 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

It's a massive hike to Ramkhamhaeng?  The station is right on Ramkhamhaeng Road.  It is literally right on the road with a bridge going to the other side.  How much closer would you like it to be?  

It is, especially with luguagge, maybe you did not notice the lenght of the station, and the fact that you have to go down several flights of stairs to even get to the ground. It is anything but convenient. 

 

6 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Taking a taxi in rush hour is not quicker.  The BTS is very busy at rush hours, but it is still the best mode of transport.  News just in - mass transit in all major cities is very very crowded at rush hour.  They can't have more frequent headway from what I understand at rush hours.  Could they or should they have longer trains?  Probably, but really it is not that bad on the whole.

Taking a taxi from say Asoke to Thong Lor in rush hour IS quicker. For crying out loud, I am talking about actual experience here. It takes me more than 20 minutes at Asoke just to get change to be able to even buy a ticket, by that time I already reached Thonglor in typical rush hour traffic on Sukhumvit. Heck, even waking is probably faster. Few weeks back it was so bad, I walked to Phrom Phong and got on the BTS there. Hell of a lot quicker than waiting for my change, or queueing for the single vending machine at that side of asoke that actually takes 20 baht notes !

 

10 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Population of KL, Singapore?  They are efficient systems in much smaller cities.  Bangkok should have integrated ticketing, that is a massive down side, but to call the mass transit systems a failure is ridiculous - it clearly not.

I never said they were a failure, I said the ARL is hardly a success. Do not put words in my mouth. I mentioned legitimate criticism on the state of public transportation in Bangkok. And as a frequent vistitor to Paris for instance, which is a comparable city in terms of inhabitants, it does not even come close to the efficiency and comfort of that mass transportation system. A system build in a few years about a century ago I might add. 

 

 

 

[josephbloggs]

Quote

4 minutes ago, sjaak327 said:

No it was not, it was scrapped because due to maintenance problems, they were unable to let five trains per hour ride. The express line was all they boosted about of course, and it would have prevented the real lugguage problem I was referring too. Again, try it yourself and see what I am talking about. Downright nightmare. The ridership is so high because it is being used as a way to get into the city. At BKK the trains are half empty, they start to fill up in the stations further down the track. As such it does not serve the purpose of an airport railink at all, it serves a purpose to transport people from Lat Krabang, Hua Mak and others to get to the city centre. Fine with me, but it did not fullfill it's intended purpose, due to sheer mismanagement. nothing more and nothing less.

 

Incorrect.  It was scrapped due to low usage.  You may be getting confused with maintenance issues with the trains overall, but the Express was scrapped due to low ridership figures and those trains were put to use on the City Line to increase frequency on that service.

 

And I don't need to be told to try it myself - I use it several times a week.

 

Quote

 

It is, especially with luguagge, maybe you did not notice the lenght of the station, and the fact that you have to go down several flights of stairs to even get to the ground. It is anything but convenient. 

Ah, the station is too long for you.  Next time they should make the station shorter than the trains to help you.  And the elevated rail system is too high - future elevated rail systems should be at ground level.  They do have escalators and lifts, they might help, although they don't have conveyor belts for the length of the stations unfortunately. 

 

Seriously, they make the stations long enough for future purposes (otherwise you would be screaming about a lack of planning), the trains stop in the middle, and the station could not be nearer the road.  It is not more than 50 metres from the station entrance to Ramkhamhaeng Road.  How would you propose it be closer?  

 

Quote

I never said they were a failure, I said the ARL is hardly a success. Do not put words in my mouth. I mentioned legitimate criticism on the state of public transportation in Bangkok. And as a frequent vistitor to Paris for instance, which is a comparable city in terms of inhabitants, it does not even come close to the efficiency and comfort of that mass transportation system. A system build in a few years about a century ago I might add. 

I have to disagree with you about Paris.  It is filthy dirty, the ticketing is confusing and there are not enough machines in operation.  Signage is very confusing too.  Bangkok is far superior in all those respects.  Comfort?  Paris metro trains are comfortable?  Compared to BTS or MRT or ARL trains??

[josephbloggs]

7 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Will international railway contractors OUTSIDE of Thailand and China be allowed to compete - I BET NOT!

Yes they were.  Many are competing.

 

You are wrong.

[sjaak327]

6 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Incorrect.  It was scrapped due to low usage.  You may be getting confused with maintenance issues with the trains overall, but the Express was scrapped due to low ridership figures and those trains were put to use on the City Line to increase frequency on that service.

 

And I don't need to be told to try it myself - I use it several times a week.

No you are now being economical with the truth. At the time there were several newspaper articles as to exactly why the express service was scrapped.

 

Or as Wikipedia quotes it: 

 

"As of September 2014, all express services were suspended until further notice due to a shortage of rolling stock."

 

Whatever happend to the check-in facitlities at Makkasan that were boosted ? You guessed it, scrapped as well. What a success the service is ! Many promises, no deliveries. 

 

Do you travel on the service with a heavy suitcase serveral times a week ? Wow you are very good, for me the service was way below average, reason why I walked with my feet. Take a taxi, door to door, much better and not all that much more expensive….

 

11 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Ah, the station is too long for you.  Next time they should make the station shorter than the trains to help you.  And the elevated rail system is too high - future elevated rail systems should be at ground level.  They do have escalators and lifts, they might help, although they don't have conveyor belts for the length of the stations unfortunately. 

No, but it is a Airport Rail Link, people from the airport usually have big suitcases. They did not have any escalators at Ramkhamhaeng at the time, and the elevators where at the Ramkhamhaeng side of the station, not on the side I happen to exit from. You are being unfair, a airport rail-link should have facilities to make it easy for people with luguagge, again look at Hong Kong to see how it is done correctly.

 

13 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

have to disagree with you about Paris.  It is filthy dirty, the ticketing is confusing and there are not enough machines in operation.  Signage is very confusing too.  Bangkok is far superior in all those respects.  Comfort?  Paris metro trains are comfortable?  Compared to BTS or MRT or ARL trains??

This takes the absolute cake. You must be joking. Paris has far more ticketing machines than the MRT or BTS, and guess what, you can even pay with credit card or ATM, apart from coins and paper money. It is vastly more efficient than the BTS. Again, go to Asoke between 16:00-19:00 to see what I am talking about. I think you are just trolling, BTS far superior to the Paris metro, get out of here. That must be the most untrue statement I heared in quite a while. 

 

This statement will make me stop argueing with you, as you are quite clearly making untrue statements. In 25 years in Paris I have never ever had to even queue to get a ticket. To get a ticket there takes me less than one minute, how different is it at Asoke, or even at my home station of Thong Lor. Heck I even walk to the far end of the station in rush hour, because I don't want to wait 10 minutes to change into coins, I walk to the suk 36 end of the station because I know that the only vending machine that takes paper money is right there. No such concerns ever, in any Paris subway station.

 

The BTS superior over the paris subway, thanks for the laugh !