Junta mulls pricey transport projects

[Lite Beer]

Junta mulls pricey transport projects
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order will take two weeks to review big-ticket transport infrastructure projects, include the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport and the development of 10 Bangkok mass-transit lines and four cross-country high-speed rail routes.

After a meeting of the NCPO with Transport Ministry officials yesterday, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong, the junta's economic chief, said the projects would be tabled for the council's consideration next week.

Project implementation plans, funding and other challenges will be studied in detail before a decision will be made.

The ministry has asked for a Bt380-billion budget for fiscal 2015, nearly triple the Bt130 billion for the current year, as some projects from the scrapped Bt2-trillion infrastructure scheme are now included.

Any changes to the board of directors and executive committees of state enterprises under the ministry will wait until a discussion with them on Saturday.

The NCPO will consider whether the free bus and train measure should continue, Prajin said.

-- The Nation 2014-05-29

[Morakot]

Hoping Bangkok's current developments of the additional ten mass-transit lines will survive this.

[NeilSA1]

Wow. Big decisions ahead. Hope the right decision is taken and NCPO err on the side of caution.

[Jay Sata]

The high speed train was never going to be a reality.

Thailand needs to develop the ability to run a low speed 120kph system first.

Where would the traffic for a high speed system come from .

[ovenman]

Oh no! What about the menus that Yingluck already planned for the high-speed trains along with her hand-picked dinnerware???

[citizen33]

Perhaps the memory is fading, but I thought the high speed train plans were originally proposed by the Democrat Party, and so may have supporters across different colours.

[JRSoul]

Hopefully they will continue with the upgrade of the existing rail system (concrete sleepers and double tracking where traffic warrants) and even consider some new rolling stock.

[GoodThaiGirl]

Perhaps the memory is fading, but I thought the high speed train plans were originally proposed by the Democrat Party, and so may have supporters across different colours.

you maybe right but they like the ptp were/are just as corrupt...its not needed just fix the existing lines/ugrade..to an international standard ..

[mojorison]

Looks like they're settling in for the long haul.

[chotthee]

I wonder if the alleged under table drop revert from 30% back to 10%?

[Soutpeel]

Thailand needs to develop the ability to run a low speed 120kph system first.

and before that just keep the trains on the tracks...

[Jay Sata]

I can't see how the current system can be upgraded to compete with the excellent if risky bus service Thailand has.

The narrow gauge used pretty much limits anything bigger than the current cars and their speed.

[4dyg]

the major Raison d'être by far for the protests and coup. as with anything thai its all about the cash. even sutheps & abhists murder charges are distantly out paced by this cash splash..

assigning of milking rights is military business.

[Prbkk]

The projects are very sensible. There is every reason for them to proceed as planned.

[KhunBENQ]

I wonder if the alleged under table drop revert from 30% back to 10%?

And putting the money in their/right pockets.

That is what it is all about.

The transport project as well as the water management are "mulled".

The unmasks one of the real purposes of the coup.

Removing a "bad" government was not one.

[lungmi]

The high speed train was never going to be a reality.

Thailand needs to develop the ability to run a low speed 120kph system first.

Where would the traffic for a high speed system come from .

Right. 120 kph is already "High Speed" for Thailand.

[JRSoul]

I can't see how the current system can be upgraded to compete with the excellent if risky bus service Thailand has.

The narrow gauge used pretty much limits anything bigger than the current cars and their speed.

Tell that to Queensland Rail.

[JRSoul]

The projects are very sensible. There is every reason for them to proceed as planned.

Not having the funding is a very sensible reason not to proceed. Not that that ever stopped Thaksin and his stooges when it was Other People's Money.

[Pib]

Rushing a decision on a BIG money project is never a good way to go about it. It's easy to wave a magic wan and say go ahead with the project especially if you are not held accountable, but that don't get the project funded or built--that's when the problems appear and the hard work begins.

[Jay Sata]

I can't see how the current system can be upgraded to compete with the excellent if risky bus service Thailand has.

The narrow gauge used pretty much limits anything bigger than the current cars and their speed.

Tell that to Queensland Rail.

I understand that system has a maximum of 100mph which is not high speed.

[Crushdepth]

The projects are very sensible. There is every reason for them to proceed as planned.

The high speed train is not economically feasible, expensive and dangerous.

[bigbamboo]

Looks like they're settling in for the long haul.

A bit like the passengers on the Chiang Mai 'Express'.

[15Peter20]

A two-week feeding frenzy par excellence....at least they're trying to keep it short.

[love1012]

The projects are very sensible. There is every reason for them to proceed as planned.

Yes - because the current infrastructure we have is so advanced isnt it. broken track, broken stock basic carriages, 100 year old stations, signals lights.............Im not a train expert but i think thailand trains need to be upgraded before we can build up to super level.How many hours from BKK to Chiang mai?

[chainarong]

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The high speed train was never going to be a reality.

Thailand needs to develop the ability to run a low speed 120kph system first.

Where would the traffic for a high speed system come from .

The ongoing maintenance alone and attracting special expertise would place the Shinawatra Express in a derailed position.

[Prbkk]

Doomsayers constrain Thailand's development. This is visionary and is a wonderful investment in the future

[Jay Sata]

We are all just being realistic.

[Jim walker]

Nope we will scrap the lot and just buy every general a new Mercedes 500 and 200 new Tanks and a few aircraft carriers much more things needed as a priority then people going about Thailand in trains trains will be no good when the Chinese are invading us at least the generals can speed away to the nearest border bolt hole during an invasion.

[boomerangutang]

The high speed train is not economically feasible, expensive and dangerous.

True, true, and true.

From the OP:

The ministry has asked for a Bt380-billion budget for fiscal 2015, nearly triple the Bt130 billion for the current year, as some projects from the scrapped Bt2-trillion infrastructure scheme are now included.

It's not enough to already be deep in debt. Let's really have a party and triple our debt. Borrow a lot, and borrow some more, and leave it to our kids and grandkids to figure out how to pay for our wild excesses.

[chainarong]

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I can't see how the current system can be upgraded to compete with the excellent if risky bus service Thailand has.

The narrow gauge used pretty much limits anything bigger than the current cars and their speed.

Tell that to Queensland Rail.

I understand that system has a maximum of 100mph which is not high speed.

You need both systems in place, passenger and goods traffic ,with a very high speed passenger there is no goods traffic, with Standard / narrow/ dual gage ,you can carry both, 170/200klm hr klm hr passenger and 100klm hr goods, on standard gage goods your are governed by axil load weight.