New dual track train line to slash travel time between Bangkok, Hua Hin and southern Thailand

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Hua Hin and surrounding areas are going through massive changes.  New enlarged water lines, reaching far out of town, road widening (trees removed), more sewage and waste water,  and lots of new construction. It seems there's a plan to enhance tourism with new sites and access.

 

Tourism is like a fickled girlfriend/boyfriend, they move on when they find something better. 

 

Who's paying for all this?

Why make Hua Hin more congested than it is already?

 

 

[JASON THAI]

Wow you can from A - B now quicker so what,  it all depends what time the train arrives at the station 555 

Edited June 11, 2019 by JASON THAI

[Fred31]

14 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

No, you need to read better. There are stops between Bangkok and Hua Hin.

yeah but still -- 2 hours should be ample. He is probabbly being extra cau

[stanleycoin]

I hope the Chinese use it, a lot.

Just what Hue Hin needs !!!!!!!!!!!  could you imagine the look on the 

faces of the Scandie's and the Snobs.  

 

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by stanleycoin

[NCC1701A]

I live in Hua Hin. I can get on the 16:00 train to Bangkok and at 20:30 I come up out of the MRT next to Soi Cowboy.

 

If they can shave a hour off of the trip great. Anything that gets me there faster is OK with me. 

 

Dual track means no more waiting on a side rail for other trains coming from the opposite direction, and they can haul a** without worrying about  cross traffic. I am looking at what they are doing and it looks as if they are adding one more track besides the existing track where possible ON THE GROUND and then taking both tracks up into the elevated sections.

 

This construction project is very big. Thousands of homes have been torn down on the easement alongside the track all the way between BBK and HH. After looking and what has been built so far, I don't think this will be elevated for the entire route.

 

They are building flyovers for country two lane roads and dozens of new bridges over water. I have seen three new stations, all the same design, along the route so far.  

 

Huge staging areas with piles of railroad ties and rails, giant piles of gravel, concrete mixing areas.

 

I like the train, it is usually mostly full, has AC, I just bring my own food and a bottle of water and noise cancelling headphones.

 

I look forward to being able to do day trips south to PKK.  

 

   

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that foreign tourists account for a whopping 90 percent of passengers travelling by train between Bangkok and Chumphon.

Complete fabrication, 90% of those passengers are Thais, I live in Nakhon Pathom and frequently go to Hua Hin, most travelers are always Thais

[harriott456]

didnt think anyone would have anything good on constructive to say..wasn't disappointed, why some of you are here i'll never know!
if the Thais are so useless, corrupt, untrustworthy etc and Thailand is so this and that..buy yourself a ticket to somewhere else..there are plenty of other countries to try nobody is forcing you to stay!

[NCC1701A]

2 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

I hope the Chinese use it, a lot.

Just what Hue Hin needs !!!!!!!!!!!  could you imagine the look on the 

faces of Scandie's and Snobs.  

Yes being originally from Hollywood and living in Hua Hin I get very upset with the Chinese and their Beverly Hills Polo Club tee shirts. 

 

Peasants all of them. Let them eat cake.

[graemeaylward]

Why is this news? It clearly started some years ago and is nowhere near completion (2022?) so why all the excitement?!!


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[upena]

Wonder when the first derailment will be

[fred110]

Build a train from Suvarnabhum to Pattaya.

[Estrada]

14 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

Not sure I would trust being whisked at 160 mile an hour ANYWHERE in Thailand.

 

Whatever next a Nuclear Power Plant ???

It is travelling a 160km/hr (100mph) not 160 miles per hour. Thailand had an operational Nuclear Reactor on Vipadee Rangsit road since the 1960s and now has a 2MW Nuclear Reactor in Nakorn Nayok for the last 12 years.

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

I live in Hua Hin. I can get on the 16:00 train to Bangkok and at 20:30 I come up out of the MRT next to Soi Cowboy.

 

If they can shave a hour off of the trip great. Anything that gets me there faster is OK with me. 

 

Dual track means no more waiting on a side rail for other trains coming from the opposite direction, and they can haul a** without worrying about  cross traffic. I am looking at what they are doing and it looks as if they are adding one more track besides the existing track where possible ON THE GROUND and then taking both tracks up into the elevated sections.

 

This construction project is very big. Thousands of homes have been torn down on the easement alongside the track all the way between BBK and HH. After looking and what has been built so far, I don't think this will be elevated for the entire route.

 

They are building flyovers for country two lane roads and dozens of new bridges over water. I have seen three new stations, all the same design, along the route so far.  

 

Huge staging areas with piles of railroad ties and rails, giant piles of gravel, concrete mixing areas.

 

I like the train, it is usually mostly full, has AC, I just bring my own food and a bottle of water and noise cancelling headphones.

 

I look forward to being able to do day trips south to PKK.  

 

   

Good to hear from someone who actually knows something about the project and not the usual idle, mostly negative, speculation.

[DPKANKAN]

16 hours ago, Matzzon said:

It´s about 190 km to Hua Hin from Bangkok with car. Train will go more straight, which will mean about 1 hour and 15 minutes at a speed of 160 km/h.

As I said in the comment above. Can´t believe anything. Mr. Worawut needs a calculator.

Yes!! But!! Have to stop for every cow on the line. Every crossing open. Every lady selling somtam-(new opportunity!!) And yes even on the elevated sections!! 5555 ????????????????

[Ulic]

14 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

And how many Thais will be able to afford this? Second many foreigners will just fly cheaper and faster. This will be the biggest boondoggle in Thailand's history.

According to the information provided 90% of the current Bangkok to Chumphon passengers are tourists and it is a fast train not a high speed bullet Train. No need for the ticket prices to increase significantly. More money should be made by the efficiencies of a dual track system.

[Vacuum]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Trains will travel at 160 km/h

They seem to have problem staying on the tracks when doing 80, good luck! I'll never be onboard one of them.

[Ozman52]

13 hours ago, Psimbo said:

Next airport after Hua Hin (Air Asia is the only current user) is Surat Thani IIRC, then Krabi and further south- handy for people in between.

 

Strangely this isn't just about external tourism. Places like PKK and other towns down the isthmus will benefit.

Chumphon has 6 flight in/out each day. Nok and Thai AA.

[HHTel]

37 minutes ago, Estrada said:

It is travelling a 160km/hr (100mph) not 160 miles per hour. Thailand had an operational Nuclear Reactor on Vipadee Rangsit road since the 1960s and now has a 2MW Nuclear Reactor in Nakorn Nayok for the last 12 years.

That is only a 'research reactor'.  There is no nuclear power in Thailand.

[dlclark97]

Many valid points from contributors.  Assuming the system is used by both Thais and tourists, what will they do for transportation once they reach their destination?  Rent a car or pickup?  I don't see this happening especially among Thai travelers.  The danger of loading their families in the back of their pickups and travelling that way will not be a consideration when they see the cost and time NOT saved in going by rail and then not having their own local transportation.

[Vacuum]

14 hours ago, Samuel Smith said:

160 kmph, most cars can manage that on a good motorway ????

Until the driver fall asleep, hit a power pole or a tree, or just lose control of the vehicle...

[HHTel]

17 hours ago, Matzzon said:

It´s about 190 km to Hua Hin from Bangkok with car. Train will go more straight, which will mean about 1 hour and 15 minutes at a speed of 160 km/h.

As I said in the comment above. Can´t believe anything. Mr. Worawut needs a calculator.

0 - 160 kph in zero seconds.

160 kph constant speed all the way.  No stops!

160 kph - 0 in zero seconds.

 

And now back to the real world!

[apetryxx]

Disclaimer, I love trains. As a retired airline pilot, I take the train whenever I can. No long security lines, one leaves and arrives from the city center and weather is rarely a problem. For trips of 5 hours or less you can’t beat the train. 

As to the snarky comments about not trusting a Thai to handle train engineering duties at 160 KPH, this is pure racist drivel.  There are plenty of intelligent hard working Thais flying planes, doctoring in complex specialties and working in disciplines that I can only marvel at. Keep your moronic statements to yourself.

[shady86]

 
No faster than a car then.....  It usually takes me about 2.5 to 3 hrs to drive to Hua Hin from central Bangkok (about 200km).
 
Theoretically its possible to achieve Bangkok to Hua Hin times in less than an hour, but I fear this will not happen. At 160kmh its possible in 1.5 hrs and this may attract some without a car, but the convenience of the car and not having to stick to a schedule for many outweighs a 1.5 hr time difference.
 
Usage may increase when Bangkok becomes a city less dependant on cars, with congestion charges significant enough to heavily limit traffic in the capital. 

If you drive middle of the night. With the ongoing constructions on Rama 2 road, it takes up to 4-5 hrs especially coming back to Bangkok.

[HHTel]

12 hours ago, mortenaa said:

The big question is: Standard gauge or (still) narrow gauge... 160 kmph on narrow gauge ... hmmm.

I think all future rail projects are on Standard Gauge as agreed with China.

 

Stop talking about a 'High Speed Train'.  This is not high speed with a top speed under 100 mph.  It's just a regular service.

 

[DrPhibes]

Guess I won't be able to see the millions of passengers since I'm pretty sure I'll be dead by 2051...  BTW, I looked up Hua Hin and see no scheduled flights to the airport.  Just booked flight to DMuang from CMai then ground transport to Hua Hin.  Are there scheduled flights to Hua Hin?  I know years ago Kan Air flew CMai to Hua Hin.

[NCC1701A]

1 minute ago, DrPhibes said:

Guess I won't be able to see the millions of passengers since I'm pretty sure I'll be dead by 2051...  BTW, I looked up Hua Hin and see no scheduled flights to the airport.  Just booked flight to DMuang from CMai then ground transport to Hua Hin.  Are there scheduled flights to Hua Hin?  I know years ago Kan Air flew CMai to Hua Hin.

nothing domestic yet. 

[Vermaric]

14 hours ago, Samuel Smith said:

160 kmph, most cars can manage that on a good motorway ????

Yes, I agree and I have the speeding tickets to prove it! 

[SymS]

Quote

He said that foreign tourists account for a whopping 90 percent of passengers travelling by train between Bangkok and Chumphon.

I've often taken the train on this line, and it's more like 10 percent of passengers being foreign tourists.

[Mavideol]

18 hours ago, manarak said:

they should directly move to laying high speed tracks, or at least semi-high speed like 250 kph.

we are talking about Thailand, they don't think that far ahead....

[RichardColeman]

16 hours ago, shady86 said:

China's bullet train can do over 300km/h with elevated track. Im sure Thais are not that far behind...

Chinese engineering and manufactured by the Chinese - maybe ok, Chinese engineering and built by Thai's-  Not OK