New Underground Train Line ?

[bwana1952]

Does anyone know the current official status of the on again, off again proposed underground train line from Bang Su junction to Thonburi ?

ls it still a goer, or have all those property speculators been stiffed by the govt. ?

[markuk]

what underground train line?? i think everyone is hoping its forgotten about!

[bwana1952]

l can assure you the people who bought property along the proposed route are hoping that it is not forgotten about. There are thousands of them and if the new underground line does not go ahead, they will lose billions of baht. This is why the line has been off and on again in terms of govt. plans. l am just trying to find out if anyone knows what the latest proposal is.

[otherstuff1957]

Actually, my wife and I own land in Nonthaburi that is about 1.5Km from one of the proposed new lines!

The subway extensions are on-again off-again, depending on the budget and on politics. People who vote the right way - ie. TRT - get subway extensions promised for their areas. People who vote the wrong way don't. SO... the lines out to Lad Prao, Bang Kapi and Thonburi will probably never be built. The lines going north and south are probably pretty secure. I think the current completion dates are 2011 to 2015 though, so don't hold your breath.

The number of planned extentions was up to 10 a year or so ago and then was cut down to 4. I think the current number is 7, but no building has been done yet, so it's anybodies guess as to which one's will actually get built.

[Plus]

They stuck on Terms of Reference, on a panel that is supposed to produce them. Once the ToR is out, foreign bidders will start planning their bids.

They, the bidders, can propose change in routes and modes of transport - underground or elevated trains. The procedure for forming consortiums is even murkier - a company can enter into bids for different parts of the system as part of different consortiums, effectively bidding against itself!

Then they have to consider the payment options - money is not the option. They can choose to get paid in chickens, shrimps, or rice.

Once all these little hurdles are cleared and contract details are hummered out, the work can commence.

I have no pity whatsoever for people who decided to make a quick buck out of Taksin's election promises.

[bwana1952]

Plus - what about sympathy those who have had land along one of those proposed routes, for many years, long before any announcement was made as to the route ?

[andyfletch]

Latest perceived wisdom is that there will be no movement on any rail projects in Greater Bangkok before the end of the year. Even if the election sorts the political situation ( which is about as likely as seeing pigs flying down Sukhumvit) most insiders reckon that the foreign investors will be extremely wary, and therefore will take their time before putting money into the " mega-projects"

So watch this space in about 9 months time - you may just see a bouncing baby rail project - on the other hand you could also see a big fat nothing. Believe it when it happens, and not before!

[andyfletch]

This in todays Nation - more diplo-babble

Diplomats to be briefed on election, mega-projects

The Foreign Ministry has invited diplomats for a briefing today on the general election.

It has also extended the deadline for foreign firms keen to be involved in mega-projects.

Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said Tuesday he had invited diplomats for a briefing on current situation, including the April 2 election and government mega-projects, at the Ministry this afternoon.

He said several companies had notified him that the original, April 28, deadline for firms to submit proposals relating to the mega-projects was too soon, so the government extended it by a month.

Kantathi insisted foreign companies were still interested in investing in Thailand despite the ongoing political instability, but said they needed the government to clarify some information, which he planned to do today.

The foreign minister said the international community saw the upcoming election as a sign of democracy, and that Thai people had the right to express their views.

They were also keeping a close eye on the ongoing protests, which have been peaceful, and hoped that Thailand would continue to prosper economically, Kantathi said.

While the anti-Thaksin rallies might cause some worries among foreign investors and the international community in the short term, it would not affect Thailand's image in the long run, he said.

The Nation

[jjp]

The number of planned extentions was up to 10 a year or so ago and then was cut down to 4. I think the current number is 7, but no building has been done yet, so it's anybodies guess as to which one's will actually get built.

Where are the 10 planned extensions/ routes being bulit?

Rangsit, Ramkamhaeng etc.

Anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers

[Donz]

i been on that train line, i thought it was really good.

I was like <deleted> thailand has trains system this advanced??

but it doesnt really go to many places

[Heng]

The construction of the Phaholyothin - Suvanabhumi rail link is certainly progressing. It's elevated so I assume this is a BTS line. Plenty of regular folks benefitting from the line through increased property value. It's not all connections.

[jdinasia]

the best place I have found for info on the rail systems etc is 2bangkok.com ... great site for lots of stuff ... mostly about the airport BTS etc

[jdinasia]

Plus - what about sympathy those who have had land along one of those proposed routes, for many years, long before any announcement was made as to the route ?

I am sorry ... I am missing something. Why would those people need sympathy? If it continues they should sell to the profiteers or at least get a lawyer to insure they get paid like the speculators ....

If on the other hand they don't want to sell ... well if it doesn't happen then no problem.

I guess I need three hands ... if they don't want to sell or don't buy into the speculation of land along those routes ... well everywhere in the world people have their land condemned for the benefit of society at large. sucks for them maybe ... but they'll get fair market value out of it.

[andyfletch]

The construction of the Phaholyothin - Suvanabhumi rail link is certainly progressing. It's elevated so I assume this is a BTS line. Plenty of regular folks benefitting from the line through increased property value. It's not all connections.

100% Wrong!......The Airport Link is nothing to do with BTS, it is an SRT project ( State Railways of Thailand), and is elevated purely to reduce the amount of disruption in the city areas. It runs along the alignment of the existing SRT line to Chachoengsao, and as the alignment moves outside the more congested zones it drops to grade level.

It will eventually ( if the "mega-projects" go ahead) be linked up to Don Muang airport, and potentially the 10 new rail lines, some of which are extensions to the subway system, some of which are SRT upgrades.

BTS extensions are the sole preserve of the BMA, and are not central government funded and are therefore not included in the "mega-projects"

[ProfessorFart]

Methinks Bwana is sweating on a property investment..............

[Heng]

The construction of the Phaholyothin - Suvanabhumi rail link is certainly progressing. It's elevated so I assume this is a BTS line. Plenty of regular folks benefitting from the line through increased property value. It's not all connections.

100% Wrong!......The Airport Link is nothing to do with BTS, it is an SRT project ( State Railways of Thailand), and is elevated purely to reduce the amount of disruption in the city areas. It runs along the alignment of the existing SRT line to Chachoengsao, and as the alignment moves outside the more congested zones it drops to grade level.

It will eventually ( if the "mega-projects" go ahead) be linked up to Don Muang airport, and potentially the 10 new rail lines, some of which are extensions to the subway system, some of which are SRT upgrades.

BTS extensions are the sole preserve of the BMA, and are not central government funded and are therefore not included in the "mega-projects"

Well, whatever it is, it's progressing quite nicely.

[otherstuff1957]

It's not just land speculators who are suffering because of the uncertainty about the future of BKK's mass transit, many ordinary people are buying houses or land expecting to have a reasonable commute to work. If, instead, they are faced with the prospect of spending an hour or two each day stuck in traffic - well, their quality of life will certainly be diminished.