CNX to BKK is 1 hr 20 min flying time, but add on 45 min check in and 30 min to collect baggage etc then 40 minutes into central BKK and you get to 3 h 15 min.

If you could compare that to a 4 hour train journey city centre to city centre then the train is as fast and less fiddly?

By meeting In March this year at Chiang Mai chamber of commerce ( they invited also a consultor of state enterprise policy office (SEPO), they talk about high speed train project will go on even something change in politic but they have to research about environment impact assessment (EIA) and health impact assessment (HIA) that will time about 2-3 years long.

This project is open to foreign investor to bidding (international bidding), China, Japan and Europe are interesting to invest in this project and it is PPPs (public private partnership) investment.

Cost of project for high speed train from Bangkok to Chaing Mai is around 232,000 million baht and if finished with 2 research above may be they can begin in 2014.

This is website that talk about market sounding : http://www.sepo.go.th/highspeedrail/en/index.html

High speed train project from China to Malasia and Singapore (now begin in Laos first, if nothing change will finished in next 4 years from Khunming to Vientiane) http://laovoices.com/2011/05/30/businesses-back-laos-china-high-speed-rail-project/, when this project finished we still do not know how far go on for project Bangkok-Chiang Mai high speed train.

Indeed I'd be much more interested in a rail or good road link with Laos and China. That would really bring a lot of benefit to Chiang Mai; currently people can get to BKK just fine as it is.

^^ Still.. I would prefer train to plane any day if it takes about the same amount of time as flying. They can charge 1000 baht more than Air Asia tix for train I don't care. The main argument against flying for the route is long term cost. If fuel is go be any more expensive than what it currently is. HS train would be THE way to future proof domestic transportation.

Thailand is lucky that 2nd tier cities like Chiang Mai, Phuket and Korat are at about the right distance for high speed trains from Bangkok.