China Keen On Thailand's High-Speed Railway Project

[webfact]

China keen on Thailand's high-speed railway project

BANGKOK: -- Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jibao on Wednesday expressed "special interest" in Thailand's high-speed rail plans during talks with Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra.

"China is more interested in the project than other countries because this railway will link us to China," said Damrong Kraikuan, director-general of the Thai Foreign Ministry’s East Asia department.

Wen reiterated Beijing’s interest in plans to build a high-speed railway from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, 600 kilometres to the north, and Nong Khai, 450 kilometres to the north-east.

"The Chinese have already sent us their proposals on participating in the projects," Damrong said.

Thailand has yet to set bidding conditions on the multi-billion dollar plan that is a core mega-project of the current administration.

The Bangkok-Nong Khai railway will link to Laos, which has announced plans to start construction in January on a 7-billion-dollar railway from Vientiane to the Chinese border, to be completed in 2018, according to state media reports.

Laos plans to finance it with a Chinese loan. The 420-kilometre project will use a standard-gauge track of 1.435 metres and require the construction of 76 tunnels and 154 bridges.

China’s outgoing premier visited Bangkok after attending the East Asia Summit in neighbouring Cambodia.

"Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Xintao have done much over the past 10 years to transform China into an economic superpower,"Yingluck said. "I hope the new leadership will take the economy forward."

-- The Nation 2012-11- 21

[Om85]

Hope they really do it, then I will be able to go to beijing more often

[OZEMADE]

Yes he wants to get the Chinese Military down to all the Asian countries as quick as possible if the S**t hits the fan. Or it may be for peacefull trading and people moving. Will just have to sit back and wait.

[Thai at Heart]

I don't care who the hell builds it. Please do it.

[Fookhaht]

Yes he wants to get the Chinese Military down to all the Asian countries as quick as possible if the S**t hits the fan. Or it may be for peacefull trading and people moving. Will just have to sit back and wait.

The high-speed rail link to Tibet was used exactly for the first purpose you mentioned, only a few years ago.

Hate to be alarmist, but China's saber-rattling against Vietnam, Philippines, Japan, etc. (over claims in the South China Sea) doesn't leave me with a warm feeling about China's allegedly peaceful interests.

[LuukKoeyKorat]

Let's not forget that the most important item..the content of the train Packed Lunches .....has been decided upon already. Priorities...

[Payboy]

I suspect that train link is going to connect China with Burma before the Thais get around making up their collective mind.

[MaxLee]

You can't just build an ultra heavyweight Highspeed bullet train and run it on such a fragile infrastructure tracks which can break any minute. It's like putting a heavyweight elephant on those shaky wooden Amazon bridges<- what would happen if the elephant steps on that bridge…???? Do you get the idea???

And what would happen to the train along with its passengers riding in insufficient outdated railroad tracks that can break any second??

Do you get the idea????

Of course Those Chinese business men engage Thailand into their Highspeed train idea, because they reap the benefits along with their political counterparts to share corruption money behind closed doors, as long as it is the customer that suffers…

[Pimay1]

You can't just build an ultra heavyweight Highspeed bullet train and run it on such a fragile infrastructure tracks which can break any minute. It's like putting a heavyweight elephant on those shaky wooden Amazon bridges<- what would happen if the elephant steps on that bridge…???? Do you get the idea???

And what would happen to the train along with its passengers riding in insufficient outdated railroad tracks that can break any second??

Do you get the idea????

Of course Those Chinese business men engage Thailand into their Highspeed train idea, because they reap the benefits along with their political counterparts to share corruption money behind closed doors, as long as it is the customer that suffers…

You have to remember the people the Chinese are dealing with are also Chinese/Thai i.e Shinawatra clan. Sister, ex-wife, brother in law, son, daughter, cousin, nephew, They speak the same language,MONEY.

[MaxLee]

You can't just build an ultra heavyweight Highspeed bullet train and run it on such a fragile infrastructure tracks which can break any minute. It's like putting a heavyweight elephant on those shaky wooden Amazon bridges<- what would happen if the elephant steps on that bridge…???? Do you get the idea???

And what would happen to the train along with its passengers riding in insufficient outdated railroad tracks that can break any second??

Do you get the idea????

Of course Those Chinese business men engage Thailand into their Highspeed train idea, because they reap the benefits along with their political counterparts to share corruption money behind closed doors, as long as it is the customer that suffers…

You have to remember the people the Chinese are dealing with are also Chinese/Thai i.e Shinawatra clan. Sister, ex-wife, brother in law, son, daughter, cousin, nephew, They speak the same language,MONEY.

I understand that very well. The majority of High status Thai Chinese brought this mess of "investing cheap and sell to a high price to the stupid or foreigners who can't speak and understand Thai anyway, to Thailand in the first place...

I see a lot of similarities in communism and Thai politics that serve the purpose of saving face…

[Katipo]

Of course they are keen. Not only will they get billions in above and below the table deals, but they'll also be able to send their products down here more efficiently.

It's a win win situation for the Chinese.... for Thailand however.... well experience tells us that even when the project finally finishes years overdue, there will still be a big mess due to shoddy workmanship, not enough train carriages, and huge poorly placed/constructed stations etc. I also wonder how many people a speeding train flying through the Thai countryside is going to kill when you consider the carnage that occurs from trains travelling at walking speed. I can see now drink old Somchai jumping the safety fence trying to get home and then...SPLAT!

[MaxLee]

Of course they are keen. Not only will they get billions in above and below the table deals, but they'll also be able to send their products down here more efficiently.

It's a win win situation for the Chinese.... for Thailand however.... well experience tells us that even when the project finally finishes years overdue, there will still be a big mess due to shoddy workmanship, not enough train carriages, and huge poorly placed/constructed stations etc. I also wonder how many people a speeding train flying through the Thai countryside is going to kill when you consider the carnage that occurs from trains travelling at walking speed. I can see now drink old Somchai jumping the safety fence trying to get home and then...SPLAT!

And you forget the natural disaster, too, floods, tsunamis, earthquake, everything can shatter Thailand's fragile infrastructure…

[fareastguy]

Just another step in China's wish to dominate the pacific region, it has no real interest in Thailand itself other than being another market place to sell it's fake goods, however a high speed railway eventually linked to China will allow the Chinese to invade Thailand & bordering countries faster than the present road links. If Yingluk thought that Thailand had something of interest for China then she's very much mistaken.

[rubl]

Personally I'd rather see a significant improvement of the current rail infrastructure. That would include a speed up of the doubling of tracks and the quality, reliability of tracks. An infrastructure that doesn't rely on a person with red flag walking in front of the train, or a few days interruption because of rain and/or flooding.

To me that would seem to have a higher ROI to Thailand than high speed links from BKK to CM and NK. Of course I may be wrong, but I've never seen a business case for the high speed train and I'm not even asking for a sound one.

[BookMan]

Is this another step in Chiang Mai and even greater Thailand becoming a holiday resort for rich Chinese?

[Pimay1]

Personally I'd rather see a significant improvement of the current rail infrastructure. That would include a speed up of the doubling of tracks and the quality, reliability of tracks. An infrastructure that doesn't rely on a person with red flag walking in front of the train, or a few days interruption because of rain and/or flooding.

To me that would seem to have a higher ROI to Thailand than high speed links from BKK to CM and NK. Of course I may be wrong, but I've never seen a business case for the high speed train and I'm not even asking for a sound one.

What you have described is forward thinking for the betterment of the populace. The only forward thinking this government has is how much more money will be in my bank account next month, and the month after that, and.................

[rheinwiese]

China is more interested in the project than other countries said Damrong Kraikuan, director-general of the Thai Foreign Ministry’s East Asia departmen

I believe Thailand is most interested to deal with China only, as there are no kickbacks avail from the competitors (France, Germany, Japan).

As much as I welcome the idea to improve Thailands rail system, I'm wondering if a high speed train can be a commercial success.

For the vast majority of Thais the tickets will most likely be way to expensive and they will stick to the busses, vans and the walking speed trains.

[tomross46]

Talk the talk, walk the walk. Chain has assisted Burma, Laos and Cambodia upgrade. Obama said we are here for you. Where? China is completing the rail link with Laos, now they tell Thailand we are here to help build the high speed railroad.

If you hear I am from the USA government and I am here to help you: RUN.

Edited November 21, 2012 by tomross46

[MaxLee]

China is more interested in the project than other countries said Damrong Kraikuan, director-general of the Thai Foreign Ministry’s East Asia departmen

I believe Thailand is most interested to deal with China only, as there are no kickbacks avail from the competitors (France, Germany, Japan).

As much as I welcome the idea to improve Thailands rail system, I'm wondering if a high speed train can be a commercial success.

For the vast majority of Thais the tickets will most likely be way to expensive and they will stick to the busses, vans and the walking speed trains.

The past governments, the current governments and future government will always just blindly implement any policies without asking the affected communities or considering the consequences first, but only to get the uneducated nations' vote and screech yen over.... See the 'wage hike and the '1st grader tablet policy'....

Edited November 21, 2012 by MaxLee

[MikeOboe57]

Let's not forget that the most important item..the content of the train Packed Lunches .....has been decided upon already. Priorities...

The content has been changed due to recent developments. It will now have an extra 250 gr of precooked stockpile rice from the 2012 harvest with some nam plah and a small bottle of herbal liquor to appease the revolting stomach.

[chiangmaikelly]

The first link in the new rail system will be from Bangkok to Rayong. I just wanted to write that so next year you will all know who knew first.

[OzMick]

So where is the need to transport large numbers of passengers at a relatively high speed but slower than air travel?

Or is there a need for China to sell off some very expensive technology to any mug silly enough to buy it? Encase it in the sweeteners of loans and infrastructure rip-offs, and the ephemeral promise of "modernisation" and PTP won't be able to resist.

[clockman]

Remember Thailand is just a colony of China!

[sirchai]

There're still 3,000 schools without electricity, the educational system similar to the rest of this country. Then the corruption........

How can anybody with common sense want such a project, produced in China? Do they have a functioning high speed railway?

I haven't seen anything good that was produced in China and don't they already rule this country in one way or the other?

The German ICE and French TGV might be more expensive, but in the long run much more efficient. I would never sit on a high speed train that was made in China.

What about planning to build some factories that Thai citizens have work? My father in law, a rice farmer in lower north-east, is piss- poor and it doesn't seem to change.

I'm sure that Aphisit wouldn't even have thought about such nonsense. It's time that Thais wake up and realize what sort of people are wasting their money.

But as always, they don't want to have educated farmers, or any other "low class" people, as they would never vote for them again, even when getting paid.-

[chiangmaikelly]

There're still 3,000 schools without electricity, the educational system similar to the rest of this country. Then the corruption........

How can anybody with common sense want such a project, produced in China? Do they have a functioning high speed railway?

I haven't seen anything good that was produced in China and don't they already rule this country in one way or the other?

The German ICE and French TGV might be more expensive, but in the long run much more efficient. I would never sit on a high speed train that was made in China.

What about planning to build some factories that Thai citizens have work? My father in law, a rice farmer in lower north-east, is piss- poor and it doesn't seem to change.

I'm sure that Aphisit wouldn't even have thought about such nonsense. It's time that Thais wake up and realize what sort of people are wasting their money.

But as always, they don't want to have educated farmers, or any other "low class" people, as they would never vote for them again, even when getting paid.-

Where are these 3000 schools with no electricity? I have never seen one and I've seen at least 1000 Thai schools.

[metisdead]

Discussion of schools with no electricity would be off topic.

[lizardtongue]

Here we go again trying to run before they can walk!

I really would like to see a good rail system put in place, but first I would like to see the infrastructure built to an acceptable standard, the present rail lines cannot cope with trains traveling at 30 mph let alone a high speed train.

The cost of a first class ticket from Chiangmai to BKK is around 1900 Bt and is taking over 12 hrs (15 last time I used it) you can fly for a few 100 Bt more! I can't see them keeping the price competitive enough to warrant people using it.

It will be handy for fake imports and the like that's about it!

[Thai at Heart]

There're still 3,000 schools without electricity, the educational system similar to the rest of this country. Then the corruption........

How can anybody with common sense want such a project, produced in China? Do they have a functioning high speed railway?

I haven't seen anything good that was produced in China and don't they already rule this country in one way or the other?

The German ICE and French TGV might be more expensive, but in the long run much more efficient. I would never sit on a high speed train that was made in China.

What about planning to build some factories that Thai citizens have work? My father in law, a rice farmer in lower north-east, is piss- poor and it doesn't seem to change.

I'm sure that Aphisit wouldn't even have thought about such nonsense. It's time that Thais wake up and realize what sort of people are wasting their money.

But as always, they don't want to have educated farmers, or any other "low class" people, as they would never vote for them again, even when getting paid.-

The Chinese have built thousands of miles of high speed trains in the last 10 years. They have nearly 10000 km of high speed track. So two lines in Thailand, will be an absolute doddle.

[Thai at Heart]

Here we go again trying to run before they can walk!

I really would like to see a good rail system put in place, but first I would like to see the infrastructure built to an acceptable standard, the present rail lines cannot cope with trains traveling at 30 mph let alone a high speed train.

The cost of a first class ticket from Chiangmai to BKK is around 1900 Bt and is taking over 12 hrs (15 last time I used it) you can fly for a few 100 Bt more! I can't see them keeping the price competitive enough to warrant people using it.

It will be handy for fake imports and the like that's about it!

What odds the SRT could actually achieve to build and manage such a system.

[tombkk]

There seem to be some misconceptions here. The high-speed train will not run on the existing tracks; those tracks are old and there is no question they need to be replaced.

Secondly, this idea did not just come up now. I have seen different plans proposed to the Thai government, and that was two years ago. They included elevated tracks and other measures to prevent people and wildlife getting hurt.

The OP also mentions the standard gauge, which is important for connectivity. Some Thai government officials seem to favour the meter gauge.

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