Two high-speed rail lines get nod, but neither will come to Chiang Mai Jul 30, 2014

Society

CityNews - The ruling junta has approved two high-speed rail projects intended to link Thailand with southern China, reports said today – but both bypass Chiang Mai.

http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4306

I suspect that Chiang Mai TV denizens are disappointed not to be able to zip south (if they can afford the ticket) on high-speed rail to Bangkok. Well, enjoy the fine air and bus service available (at very reasonable rates). The rail route is ---well ---arduous! If you are thinking about fast passenger service to and from Bangkok from Chiang Mai, it would be very nice, but!

A highspeed rail link does not make much economic sense because Chiang Mai is not a trade hub on the China route for rail (or really for road traffic, which goes along Thai routes 1020 and 1). There are also some standard wider-gauge two-track systems proposed by NCPO for Thailand. I don't believe, however, but am not certain that the Chiang Mai route is included in those plans, either. That is a disappointment. Short of the tunnel problem, where there would be some traffic delays, that route could be a lot speedier.

In the old days, Chiang Mai was very much more a center of trade with the Chinese to the North and the Burmese (Shan et al) to the East. But that was when travel was arduous over mountain trails where trains, especially the high speed sort, do not economically go these days. The Burmese, some centuries ago, attacked from the East upon elephants who could deal with the terrain. Today, railroads have more clever routes, if you follow SE Asian and Chinese transportation plans. From Chiang Mai south to the earlier kingdoms was truly arduous. Indeed, powers to the South (after the Burmese were finally defeated) weren't terribly interested in La'Na until the imperialist threats of the mid to late 1900s from the British (who were accommodated) and the French (who simply grabbed "Lao" territory across the Mae Kong nominally under Thai sovereignty). That wasn't very long ago ! The rail link to Chiang Mai from Bangkok followed. That was only about 100 years old!

One of the high speed lines, to Nong Hoi, is perfectly sensible. It is to complete a rail link to port all the way from Kunming, China, China's SW hub. It is primarily for trade, not passengers. The other, to Chiang Khong from China through Laos, is a road and rail route to Chiang Khong where a bridge to Laos at Houay Xei has recently been completed. The road south from Chiang Khong (Rte 1020) links up --- guess where! --- south of Chiang Rai with Rte 1 (incidentally also known as AH3 (Asian Highway 3).

Concurrently, a three-stage (as recalled) plan has been announced to expand the Chiang Mai airport, not build a new airport out beyond "Thaksin Town", as previously rumored. Well, you can argue until the cows come home about political this and that, but Chiang Mai, while not to be served by highspeed rail will have an expanded terminal to deal with its increasingly convenient (and busy) status as a (primarily tourist) regional air hub to many lands.

Comments of a constructive kind with substantive information are invited.

Correction! That's 19th century, or the 1800s above for the Brtish and French threats. Oops!

And, the railroad IS only some 100 years old.

And, for clarity, there is only an arduous narrow mountainous road through Laos between the Chinese and Thai borders. Don't expect a rail link there --- just yet! I don't recall seeing a rail proposed that way on Chinese development maps, but they might have one penciled in. Maybe some broad regional strategic thinking (as by visionaries (dreamers?) in the Asian Devlopment Bank). Anyway, if god made the world in six days, the Chinese will certainly take longer to finish their march to the seas to the South and West.

i think we might be better off here without highspeed rail link to china ,as we have enough chinese tourists here already.

any city on the route kunming-bkk will see a flood of tourists from china and the way thai authorities deal with or plan for influx like this makes me think

it's better they bypass us.

But I was told recently that many new real estate developments have gone ahead banking on the dynamics that such a rail link would supposedly yield

Just what Thailand needs. A trillion baht worth of debt to build something that will be of limited use to the average Thai. Methinks this is more about politics then economics. If they want to put in track, try upgrading the current rail system that exists and move to a dual track system -- something that benefits the entire country. It would be interesting to be able to get from BKK to CM in 8 hours without derailing.

As far as 'high-speed rail'. Remember the crash in Spain? Knowing Thailand reputation for quality construction, I'd put my bets on a catastrophic crash within the first year of operation. Just my humble opinion.