Transport Ministry To Proceed With The Construction Of High-Speed Train

[OzMick]

Can someone explain to me why a highspeed train from Bangkok to Huahin is worth doing?

It will be the testing ground.

What is it 4 1/2 hours from Pattaya to Hua Hin? in a car?

I think Hua Hin was the southernmost electorate to vote in a PTP candidate. Everybody further south can go take a flying <snip>

With 2 major tourist destinations (Phuket and Samui) and long distances to travel, you might think we at least rate consideration. Think again.

[soundman]

Slanderous attack and replies removed from view.

Please debate in a civil manner.

[swillowbee]

Can someone explain to me why a highspeed train from Bangkok to Huahin is worth doing?

It will be the testing ground.

What is it 4 1/2 hours from Pattaya to Hua Hin? in a car?

I think Hua Hin was the southernmost electorate to vote in a PTP candidate. Everybody further south can go take a flying <snip>

With 2 major tourist destinations (Phuket and Samui) and long distances to travel, you might think we at least rate consideration. Think again.

.

... here's the math ... cost x 25% = Thai politician's and government official's graft

... that's it.

... Thailand is a nation driven by political corruption ... it is stinky and ugly and soulless.

Edited May 1, 2012 by swillowbee

[scorecard]

And yet, despite all your hatred for him, the fact is that the only Thai politician who has delivered a high speed train line to the Thai people is Thaksin : The ARL.

Less than 20 miles of track at a speed of less than 100mph to a station that seems deliberately designed to inconvenience passengers hardly seems something to boast about.

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And finished at least 2 years late.

[hellodolly]

Japanese building railways in Thailand....there is something in the back of my mind here.

Haven't they build a railway in Thailand previously?

Kind of but they had foreign labor as well as Thais do the work and had the whole process of building it overseen by Korean's

[Bagwan]

I wonder if this railway scheme will end up in the same basket as the tablet thingy. High speed railway - perchance to dream.

[planr]

Let me inject some factual information into this thread before it derails (see what I did there?)

1) High Speed Rail plans were first floated by the NESDB in the 1990s. The only link deemed remotely feasible at the time was Bangkok to the ESB (let's call it Pattaya for the geographically challenged). Even then, the projected demand would not have supported true HSR in the Shinkansen (Japan) / TGV (France) sense. Rather something traveling between 150-200 km/h (90-125mph) would have been the best option... note this type of train is typically referred to as a "Fast, Comfortable Train" or FCT in industry parlance. Alas, with changing governments and the financial crisis in 1997, among other things, these plans never came to fruition.

2) The proposed "HSR" network by the current administration is an offshoot of the plans put forth by Abhisit's administration when they were on their way out the door. As someone with some (thought certainly not all) insider knowledge, in addition to my professional capacity in the transport world, the Northeast (to Lao) and South (to Hua Hin / Malaysia) are largely the product of Chinese interest (in both cases) and the large PT influence in the Northeast. Unsurprisingly, these are the least viable links in the network in terms of passenger ridership (though the Chinese are obviously pushing freight as well).

On the other hand, the ESB link is still and will continue to be the most viable. Chiang Mai is not as viable, but more so than the two mentioned above. It is at the limits of where HSR competes with Air Travel in terms of speed. That said, if done properly, it would absolutely eat away at air travel on that route, kill air travel between BKK and points between (e.g., Sukothai, Phitsanulok), steal some car trips, and likely have a major impact on the private bus system (who I am guessing actively lobby against HSR). The viability of these routes is why you see the Japanese willing to invest. JBIC / JICA investment is a great thing as it comes with many strings attached. If all four routes get built, the first two with Chinese Money and the latter two with Japanese money, it's almost undeniable that there would be noticeable differences in quality in the long term.

At what cost and for what return on investment?

When Abhisit's administration was pushing this, they held a grand informational seminar at the Shangri-La in December 2010. At this presentation, information was handed out which contained, among other things, the budget, ridership estimates, EIRR and FIRR for the Chiang Mai route and the Rayong/ESB route.

The EIRR for the Chiang Mai route was 13.58% and the Rayong route was 13.05%. Notably, both of these fall short of the current 14% mandated by the government for investing in major infrastructure projects. The FIRR varies on the level of investment by the government. If anyone wants the documentation, shoot me a PM.

Edited May 2, 2012 by planr