Railway road southbound widening

[prk888]

The eastern side of the railway track is being reclaimed for what we can assume is major road widening (can anyone confirm?).   This southbound road could therefore become 3 or 4 lanes inevitably leading to  much faster, busier traffic & avoiding Sukhumvit.   If this is the case it will be very interesting to see how the many current busy and often congested east-west intersections (e.g.  Khao Noi,  Khao Talo,  Soi 89, Chaiyapruk etc.) will be affected.    As with the MAKRO/Sukhumvit long-running U-turn debacle it will be worth watching this space.

[Ralf001]

I reckon it is to do with the new train line going in.

[prk888]

Ah Ha !  Interesting observation.  Thanks. 

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, prk888 said:

The eastern side of the railway track is being reclaimed for what we can assume is major road widening (can anyone confirm?). 

I saw the work and I actually thought it was to lay a new railway line... maybe the high speed one they were on about. More concerned by the damned great pipes they are laying on the North end and Southbound traffic being diverted all through the houses. 

[Kerryd]

Yeah I was thinking it was probably more to do with the rail line. They've got mountains of concrete railway "ties" stocked up by the rail station. Used to have some large stacks in the parking area next to the station but it looks like they've been moved (maybe to allow construction to begin).

However the reclamation extends well past the Khao Noi intersection heading south.
  
Another thought is, they are (finally) doing some routine shrub/garbage removal from the drainage channel to allow the rain water to drain off quicker. That area was getting pretty choked up with shrubs and bushes.

[alanrchase]

If it's anything like the train line work going on in my area quite a lot of land has been taken to put road bridges across the tracks. The new lines are fenced on both sides so no more level crossings.

[chilly07]

As this section is meant to be elevated it's probably just to give them working room and to 'finally' sort the drainage.

[jimn]

I am reliably informed by my wife that it is for the fast train service that will link the 3 airports. Don Muang, Suvarnabumi and U-Tapau.

[jimn]

On 5/25/2021 at 4:39 AM, Ralf001 said:

I reckon it is to do with the new train line going in.

Yes it is, thanks for the map

[thailand49]

Could be wrong but adding another lane doesn't make sense since the intersection of Siam Country and Nernpludwan ( bridge ) is already too congested so why add a lane to make it worse. 

 

This morning it seem the lane leading to Nernpludwan isn't going to be above ground but to run right under the bridge at Nernpludwan?????

 

To be honest the problem with this road is there isn't anywhere to turn off, it stretches so long pushing all traffic to the intersection.  The best solution is to dig and lower the train tracks and built bridges at particular points so vehicles don't have to end up at intersection to turn back around. At intersection like Khao Talo, Khao Noi, Siam Country the train should go under instead of closing these road several times daily so the train can go through today with the traffic it doesn't work.  Just dig and add tracks would be much cheaper?????

[NCC1701A]

On 5/25/2021 at 3:26 AM, prk888 said:

The eastern side of the railway track is being reclaimed for what we can assume is major road widening (can anyone confirm?).  

you will know in 5 to 10 years. 

 

[Kerryd]

The section south of the Khao Talo intersection seems to have been built up, with a small drainage channel between the built up area and the train tracks.

Looks way more like a road expansion than a rail one. In the other areas, they are only clearing from the bottom of the channel to the edge of the southbound lane. If they were expanding the rail line, they'd be clearing the other way.

One thought I had was maybe they were going to put in "right turn" lanes at the intersections to ease congestion.

And they really can't lower the rail lines, or the roads, along most of that area as they already have too many problems with flooding every time it rains. The only way to get rid of the level crossings would be to install overpasses at each intersection (impractical and extremely expensive), or underpasses (same issue).

Or re-route the rail line (maybe so it parallels the highway 7 extension to Map Ta Phut).

And they are still working on the drain pipe project on the section between Nern Plerb Wan and Khao Noi (southbound).

[johng]

Some action going on  around Bahn Amphur too.

Back hoe and roller making  another lane parallel to existing line new fence being installed.

 

 

 

[prk888]

around soi 89 there is increased activity now.   Eastern side and for a long way now the dumped soil is compacted and level with the road.    Tracks or road?

[Ralf001]

On 5/27/2021 at 6:20 AM, Kerryd said:

The section south of the Khao Talo intersection seems to have been built up, with a small drainage channel between the built up area and the train tracks.

Looks way more like a road expansion than a rail one. In the other areas, they are only clearing from the bottom of the channel to the edge of the southbound lane. If they were expanding the rail line, they'd be clearing the other way.

One thought I had was maybe they were going to put in "right turn" lanes at the intersections to ease congestion.

And they really can't lower the rail lines, or the roads, along most of that area as they already have too many problems with flooding every time it rains. The only way to get rid of the level crossings would be to install overpasses at each intersection (impractical and extremely expensive), or underpasses (same issue).

Or re-route the rail line (maybe so it parallels the highway 7 extension to Map Ta Phut).

And they are still working on the drain pipe project on the section between Nern Plerb Wan and Khao Noi (southbound).

 

 

The  new rail line to U-tapoa has a ground level Station/stop at Pattaya planned .... I assume at/near the existing station.

 

 

 

[Kerryd]

Spoke to some Thai friends yesterday as we drove along the by pass from Khao Noi down past the Khao Talo intersection.

They say it's part of the high speed train project and that the work will take about 5 years (or more of course).

As well, the crossing at Nern Plerb Wan was closed and they are doing a lot of work with drainage pipes all over the place. 

[prk888]

thanks for update

[thaitero]

What is the latest info what will be the location of Pattaya high speed station ?

I remember that original plan was near the existing station but then this rich dude who won contracts to build wanted to change the location.

 

I lost track what was the final decision,,

Edited June 3, 2021 by thaitero

[johng]

There where rumours the station would be near to the (roumored)

new Icon Siam shopping mall at Bahn Amphur   south of Jomtien

 

The plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months....cue the Vogon construction fleet.

Edited June 4, 2021 by johng

[Henryford]

On 5/26/2021 at 6:47 PM, jimn said:

I am reliably informed by my wife that it is for the fast train service that will link the 3 airports. Don Muang, Suvarnabumi and U-Tapau.

 

That will be great when it's done as it's a PITA to get to Don Muang. But i will probably be dead before they finish it.

[jacko45k]

15 minutes ago, Henryford said:

 

That will be great when it's done as it's a PITA to get to Don Muang. But i will probably be dead before they finish it.

Unless they can get it to stop at Nong Plalai going both ways ... no damned use!

[johng]

[prk888]

where is that JohnG ?

No sign of adjoining road so must be for railway i assume

[johng]

1 hour ago, prk888 said:

where is that JohnG ?

No sign of adjoining road so must be for railway i assume

 

The photo was taken at  Na-Jomtien  near to the now defunct Alankarn Theatre  the railway road never made it this far south I''m assuming too that they are preparing  for the high speed rail track  and not a road  but possibly both   but that would make less sense as they are widening the Sukhumvit road. which runs parallel already.

 

closest google street view image

https://www.google.com/maps/@12.846345,100.9193987,3a,33.5y,9.3h,80.73t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1sVAONNZ25u1XcEh2_I0pzaA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!9m2!1b1!2i47

 

Sukhumvit

 

[Jeffr2]

I saw this work yesterday, near Alankarn also. 

[spidermike007]

China has 37,900 km. of high speed rail in place. Of course Thailand is no China, when it comes to infrastructure progress. But, to remain at zero km, for all this time? From what I hear, only one route is currently under construction. BKK to Korat. Why the sluggard pace? With the trucks clogging the highways due to a lack of cargo rail in the nation, high speed rail is desperately needed.

 

Anything. Anything will help. But please, do not continue doing nothing. 

[Kerryd]

No worries. Thailand's fingers are deep in the Chinese pockets. No doubt some of the proposed changes (to attract more "tourists" by letting the rich ones work and buy land) are aimed at that market (not the old, white, living off a meagre pension crowd).  No doubt some (most/all) of the "foreign companies" supposedly involved in the high speed train project are owned/controlled by China. If they want the project to go ahead, it will. Nobody in the Thai gov't is going to say no to them.

China has a pretty good "behind the scenes" control of Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos already. Thailand is being drawn in with submarine deals, condo  projects and rail projects. There was talk a couple years ago about a high speed link between southern China and Thailand (to be financed by China and controlled by them of course). I think (but can't recall for sure) that it would go from China to Korat (through Laos I imagine), to connect with the Thai line running from Bangkok to Korat.

(Which, if you study such matters, would make it real easy for them to channel troops and military hardware from China to the Andaman Sea and thus into the Indian Ocean. Thailand is a lot more stable and thus more suitable for such a project than Myanmar and Cambodia doesn't work as it doesn't have access to the Andaman Sea/Indian Ocean with out going through the Straights of Malacca.)

Chinese "investment" and "development" banks have been hard at work buying up (or investing in) all manner of infrastructure in various countries. Power plants, dams, toll bridges/highways, rail lines, resorts, sea ports.

They've made secret (and not so secret) deals with Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Djibouti (on the east coast of Africa) giving them access to airfields and naval ports almost all the way from the South China sea to the African coast.
Pretty much every one of those countries is in hock up to their eyeballs to the Chinese and couldn't say no to them even if they wanted too. 

Why use troops and war to take over countries when you can just let their own greed do the job for you !

Rumour has it (well, it's not really a rumour actually) that a certain "Chinese-friendly" ex-PM was worth about 15 bil baht when he became PM, but just a few short years later was worth over 76 billion. Got to wonder where that additional 61 bil came from as he certainly wasn't getting that much in salary.

Another example is a certain Canadian Prime Minister. Not long after being elected for the first time (as PM), he hosted a number of "pay for access" private dinners where people paid upwards of $1,500 a plate to have a private dinner with the PM. (Profits went to pay off his party's election debts.)

At one such dinner, a certain Chinese businessman needed gov't approval for a new bank. Another Chinese businessman was apparently so impressed with Trudeau that he just spontaneously decided to donate $1,000,000 into the PM's "Family Trust" account !
The PM later claimed in the press that such "donations" wouldn't have any effect on his decision making. (The bank was approved of course, but not because someone just "donated" a million dollars into his account or anything. Yeah right.)
(Funny how there were no "foreign" donations into that Family Trust before he was elected and how there has apparently been a flood of such donations, in various amounts, since then.)

I'm sure a lot of other "donations" have been made to the leaders of certain countries over the years, putting them squarely in China's pocket.

Luckily for the Chinese, Thailand already has airports capable of handling it's largest bombers and sea ports that can handle their largest ships as well so they won't have to build them/renovated them like they've done elsewhere. 

[prk888]

From Pattaya News report today with many photos

High speed 3 airport railway work

9 stations - will limit average speeds

B244 billion budget including associated works. 

End date projected 2025/2026

 

All the inputs were appreciated