Thai Transport Minister: One Firm Will Run All High-Speed Train Routes

[webfact]

Transport Minister: One firm will run all high-speed train routes

BANGKOK, 21 March 2013 (NNT) - The transport minister has revealed that only one company will be selected to run all high-speed train routes, scheduled to be operatiional between 2018 and 2019.

Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt said that only one bidder will be selected to run all four high-speed train routes. In the first phase, the four routes will start from Bangkok and will terminate in the eastern beach city of Pattaya, the resort city of Hua Hin southwest of Bangkok, the northern city of Phitsanulok, and the gateway to the Northeast, Nakhon Ratchasima.

The second phase will see the northern route extend to Chiang Mai, the eastern route to Rayong, the northeastern route to Nong Khai, and the southern route to Padang Besar in Songkhla near the Malaysian border.

The minister said that the reason for having the same company run all four routes is to avoid the high costs that would arise from having to maintain four different train systems.

Currently, companies from China, Japan, South Korea, France and Spain have shown interest in the bidding.


-- NNT 2013-03-21

[ChinChanGamble]

Apart from the monopoly, great to see such interest from reputable foreign countries.

[pedro01]

Worked out well for building police stations...

[MaxLee]

Transport Minister: One firm will run all high-speed train routes

BANGKOK, 21 March 2013 (NNT) - The transport minister has revealed that only one company will be selected to run all high-speed train routes, scheduled to be operatiional between 2018 and 2019.

-- NNT 2013-03-21

Who else than CHINA will come in question???

Sell cheap products for a high price, and sacrifice safety of people for the sake of keeping FACE...

[aussiebebe]

I can't see anyone but a Chinese company winning this contract, isn't this high-speed route all part of China's string of pearls policy anyway? Thais don't really need it in the same way that China will rely on the line to provide cheap freight. It will still be useful to have a viable alternative to driving or flying, though.

[shunima]

Transport Minister: One firm will run all high-speed train routes

BANGKOK, 21 March 2013 (NNT) - The transport minister has revealed that only one company will be selected to run all high-speed train routes, scheduled to be operatiional between 2018 and 2019.

-- NNT 2013-03-21

Who else than CHINA will come in question???

Sell cheap products for a high price, and sacrifice safety of people for the sake of keeping FACE...

You really hate the Chinese do you? One major accident and this because of a thunderstruck but you have this urge to bash all that has a link to China. And all of this most likely coming from you Chinese built phone or keyboard submitted via your Chinese built router. I would sit in their trains any minute I need transport. There were more tragical accidents in western countries when it comes to high speed trains.

[MaxLee]

I can't see anyone but a Chinese company winning this contract, isn't this high-speed route all part of China's string of pearls policy anyway? Thais don't really need it in the same way that China will rely on the line to provide cheap freight. It will still be useful to have a viable alternative to driving or flying, though.

History has it wrong: Thailand HAS been colonized, by China many century years ago, when they sent the same breed of people that established corruption, cheating, backstabbing and brainwashing as we know it today, to Thailand.

[Ricardo]

Wonder whose butler/chauffeur/maid/gardener will have shares in the successful bidding-company ?

[Locationthailand]

Sounds good in theory, let's wait and see - I would think if Siemens already has rolling stock here and the infrastructure it would be a good idea to have them in the mix.

[IMA_FARANG]

That could be a good thing if handled wisely.

But pardon me for being suspicious that the main investors and owners of that firm won't just happen by chance to have the same last family name as a previous Prime Minister now residing in Dubai.

[IMA_FARANG]

Worked out well for building police stations...

---------------

[hellodolly]

I was to the understanding that the original plan was to involve China.

It was to stretch from Singapore to Peking.

All other plans were brought on line for political reasons and really lacked backing.

Any money available for use in them was diverted to the purchase and construction of buildings to hold rice until it rotted and would be cleared out for more over priced rice at the tax payers money,

[DekDaeng]

Transport Minister: One firm will run all high-speed train routes

BANGKOK, 21 March 2013 (NNT) - The transport minister has revealed that only one company will be selected to run all high-speed train routes, scheduled to be operatiional between 2018 and 2019.

-- NNT 2013-03-21

Who else than CHINA will come in question???

Sell cheap products for a high price, and sacrifice safety of people for the sake of keeping FACE...

Most interesting case of saving face is the prompt burying of the carriages of the Chinese HST that came off after the accident last year.

'Train # 1234? - No, not have"

[Pimay1]

I was to the understanding that the original plan was to involve China.

It was to stretch from Singapore to Peking.

All other plans were brought on line for political reasons and really lacked backing.

Any money available for use in them was diverted to the purchase and construction of buildings to hold rice until it rotted and would be cleared out for more over priced rice at the tax payers money,

No problem. They can just borrow another few trillion Baht to be paid back in 100 years.

[ginjag]

I was to the understanding that the original plan was to involve China.

It was to stretch from Singapore to Peking.

All other plans were brought on line for political reasons and really lacked backing.

Any money available for use in them was diverted to the purchase and construction of buildings to hold rice until it rotted and would be cleared out for more over priced rice at the tax payers money,

No problem. They can just borrow another few trillion Baht to be paid back in 100 years.

5 generations to pay back is not long!!!

The French are in the running according to Thai T.V.

[ginjag]

I was to the understanding that the original plan was to involve China.

It was to stretch from Singapore to Peking.

All other plans were brought on line for political reasons and really lacked backing.

Any money available for use in them was diverted to the purchase and construction of buildings to hold rice until it rotted and would be cleared out for more over priced rice at the tax payers money,

No problem. They can just borrow another few trillion Baht to be paid back in 100 years.

5 generations to pay back is not long!!!

The French are in the running according to Thai T.V.

Sorry my post started with (5generations) why it was not under I have no Idea.

[Bagwan]

Wonder whose butler/chauffeur/maid/gardener will have shares in the successful bidding-company ?

You think that they might show a profit? I accept that in the long term that profits may be made but since the majority of Thais cannot see further ahead of where the next meal is coming from and that Buddha will take care of next week, it is reasonable to suppose that the favoured and far sighted few might collect.

[rubl]

A bit more information is required I think.

Are we talking of ONLY running the trains as in planning time tables, providing personel and training of, providing maintenance of trains and safety infrastructure, providing maintenance of tracks, buying the trains, paying for infrastructure, etc., etc., etc.

The value of a possible contract would clearly depend on answers to this. Personally I don't think the number of passengers will really provide much income for years to come and double tracking of the normal rail tracks may effect move of freight from 'slow' to 'fast' trains.

[bigbamboo]

I wouldn't buy a toy train from China.

[A_Traveller]

Transport Minister: One firm will run all high-speed train routes - "Mine" he said.

[doctorproc156]

The Chinese are the easiest to be corrupt with, they are obviously going to be choice. 2.2 trillion baht placed in the hands of one company, the opportunity for corruption is insane.

[Ricardo]

Wonder whose butler/chauffeur/maid/gardener will have shares in the successful bidding-company ?

You think that they might show a profit? I accept that in the long term that profits may be made but since the majority of Thais cannot see further ahead of where the next meal is coming from and that Buddha will take care of next week, it is reasonable to suppose that the favoured and far sighted few might collect.

One version of the proposal I saw, said that the train-operating company would be different, from the infrastructure-construction company.

So in a possible senario, where the heavy-costs are loaded onto a government-owned agency, which then rents (at who-knows what price ?) access to the train-operators, yes I do think a profit might be possible, in the accounts of the operating-company.

Leaving the government with the major-debts.

[AleG]

Wonder whose butler/chauffeur/maid/gardener will have shares in the successful bidding-company ?

You think that they might show a profit? I accept that in the long term that profits may be made but since the majority of Thais cannot see further ahead of where the next meal is coming from and that Buddha will take care of next week, it is reasonable to suppose that the favoured and far sighted few might collect.

One version of the proposal I saw, said that the train-operating company would be different, from the infrastructure-construction company.

So in a possible senario, where the heavy-costs are loaded onto a government-owned agency, which then rents (at who-knows what price ?) access to the train-operators, yes I do think a profit might be possible, in the accounts of the operating-company.

Leaving the government with the major-debts.

In fact, one of the sections of the 2.something (5.something including interest on the debt over 50 years) says that the state will guarantee the loans from private investors.

What could ever go wrong with that?

[EyesWideOpen]

Transport Minister: One firm will run all high-speed train routes

BANGKOK, 21 March 2013 (NNT) - The transport minister has revealed that only one company will be selected to run all high-speed train routes, scheduled to be operatiional between 2018 and 2019.

-- NNT 2013-03-21

Who else than CHINA will come in question???

Sell cheap products for a high price, and sacrifice safety of people for the sake of keeping FACE...

You really hate the Chinese do you? One major accident and this because of a thunderstruck but you have this urge to bash all that has a link to China. And all of this most likely coming from you Chinese built phone or keyboard submitted via your Chinese built router. I would sit in their trains any minute I need transport. There were more tragical accidents in western countries when it comes to high speed trains.

However......I am fairly sure in western country train accidents, the governments do not rush out heavy equipment and immediately bury the cars in the ground so as to not lose face. :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14321787

"Social networking sites have acted as an informal newswire service with, for example, footage of the authorities burying damaged carriages first posted on Sina Weibo, China's leading Twitter-like service.

The ministry buried the locomotives because they wanted to bury the truth," read one post."

"There have been allegations that corners were cut during construction of the high-speed network because of corruption."

Well, I guess here in Thailand we can certainly look forward to the corruption part of the construction....lol

[OZEMADE]

Are they talking about one company build all the rail systems or are they saying one company will run all the rail systems when they are built.

Or is the bidding for one company to build and run the rail system.