Airport Rail Link Delayed

[andyfletch]

From 2bangkok.com...........

Suvannabhum Airport Link delay - Contractors doubt it will be done by December 2007 - One year delay likely

- translated and summarized by Wisarut Bholsithi from Prachachart Thurakij, October 24, 2005

After nine months of construction, the works is 6-7% done, 5-6% behind the ideal schedule of 12%. Most of the work is to clear the land and push the support pillars. Contractors are complaining about the protests from slum dwellers along the railway line who refuse to allow contractors to enter the construction site.

The Hopewell pillars, rains and floods have obstructed the project. The contractors expect the project to be delayed from the target end date of December 2007 by 12 months.

STECON has bitterly complained that they can enter only four construction sites from TV 11 to Lad Krabang via RCA, Klong Tan and Rom Klao (which are the vacant areas).

The other 50% are forbidden areas due to slum dwellers (backed-up up by the mafia) who refuse to move to Hua Takhe. Furthermore, the flood and rains are barriers to be overcome.

There are 300 households of slum dwellers in the following places:

1) Makkasan Lake which is a place for at least 300 railway worker households at Makkasan Depot, the factory wall, and near the rail tracks.

2) The community behind Decha Hospital of 85 households

3) Klong Tan community of 135 households

4) Thap Kaeo communities of 5 households near Klong Tan station

5) Other illegal settlers--128 households

STECON has removed some of the 25 Hopewell structures and 44 Hopewell pillars, but STECON has not removed NASA Spacedrome since they have not yet had approval from the SRT Board.

Further trouble is the elevated track of 400 meters constructed by ITD for transporting the ballast for the construction of Suvanabhum Airport. ITD refuses to allow STECON to remove that elevated ballast track so they need permission from the SRT Board to settle with ITD before constructing the line from Lad Krabang to NBIA. Furthermore, ITD has left construction debris in the tunnel to reach NBIA so they have to get permission to remove the debris before constructing the track from Lad Krabang to NBIA.

STECON also told the Prachachart correspondent that they have to enter eight other construction sites including NBIA, Makkasan, and Asok Halt. However, it is impossible to meet the deadline of November 5, 2007 due to the fact that SRT has failed to remove slum dwellers along with the removal of high voltage power lines at Klong Tan. These troubles have delayed the project by 7-8 months even with SRT Board approval. Failure to get the approval from the SRT Board would delay the projects by more than 24 months. The red tape concerning the SRT Board approval process is another problem.

No Approval, No Progress. Even with SRT Board approval, slum dwellers still refuse to allow contractors to enter the area.

However, SRT Governor Jittisen insists that he will force the contractor to finish the project by the end of December 2007 by claiming that SRT has already cleared the slum dwellers off SRT land along the Eastern line and pushed them to live in the Hua Takhe area. Furthermore, the SRT Governor has claimed that the SRT Board has settled with Excaliber on the Nasa Spacedrome issue with the extending of land leasing as the compensation. They also claim that they have removed the railway tracks of ITD along with Hopewell pillars so they do not believe the claims by contractors (STECON - PYCON) that they cannot move the all heavy machines onto construction sites, instead of just 14 pillar derricks.

[Crossy]

No real surprises here. 2007 was always going to be tight, add in the expected political wrangling, squatters, mafia etc. and we have an instant 1 year delay

Did Hopewell relent on their position over the structures (they wanted paying for them) or have they been blown up by the southern insurgents

I'm also somewhat surprised that this has only been reported in the Thai language press thus far, not news to the English speaking world?

[Bluffer]

Is there anyone that actually believes

a) timescales

or

deadlines

for any large Thai project?

They should just give what decade it will be ready. Mind you for the airport that would have still meant a few delay announcements!

[OldAsiaHand]

The longer anything takes, the more opportunities arise for people to get paid. QED.

[ratcatcher]

How will the millions of expected overseas visitors get into Bangkok if the 'High Speed Rail Line is not ready? Does Captain Fanthaiksin have that answer? The airport was "opened" a month ago according to the papers.

[lomatopo]

Earlier reports this year mentioned 39 months to finish, so I was expecting June, 2008?

[andyfletch]

Earlier reports this year mentioned 39 months to finish, so I was expecting June, 2008?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

December 2007 was for the civil works - systems should normally complete about 6-9 months after. However in practice the whole lot ends up being completed together.

This delay is more to do with contractual issues than anything else !!! ( oh and maybe politics as well )

[Crossy]

From 2bangkok.com

SRT-AOT negotiate to share responsibility for the Airport Link - translated and summarized by Wisarut Bholsithi from Manager Daily, October 31, 2005

SRT and AOT and Thai Inter is negotiating on the sharing of responsibility for the Suvannabhum Airport Link.

1) SRT runs the services

2) AOT and Thai Inter run the City Air Terminal at Makkasan

The division of responsibility is according the expertise of each agency, but SRT has to hire experts to teach SRT railway officers to run the Airport Link services.

The project has been delayed by 5-6% (to 19-20%) from the target of 25-26% due to the rainy season and that some sections of the Airport Link are within the dense community of Pratoo Nam - Phayathai - Phetburi.

There is no problem with the section from Hua Mark to Lad Krabang. SRT hopes that the contractors would finish the project by the end of November 2007.

Just a thought, but don't SRT already run a railway??

[thaihome]

How will the millions of expected overseas visitors get into Bangkok if the 'High Speed Rail Line is not ready? Does Captain Fanthaiksin have that answer? The airport was "opened"    a month ago according to the papers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually the expressway to the airport is completed. Makes for a very easy drive. The time to Suk is just about the same as from Don Muang.

TH