China-backed Thai railway construction to begin in September

webfact · January 22, 2015

China-backed Thai railway construction to begin in September
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP |

BANGKOK: -- Construction on a $12 billion Chinese-backed railway through Thailand will begin in September, officials said Thursday, as part of a grand vision to overhaul the country's notoriously creaking network.

"The first two phases will start by September or October at the latest this year and will take around two-and-a-half years to complete," Thailand's Transport Minister Prajin Juntong told reporters after meeting Chinese officials in Bangkok.

Thailand currently has only 250 kilometres (155 miles) of dual track railway, making train travel painfully slow.

With Chinese help, Bangkok plans to lay down two new dual track lines, part of a wider regional network that Beijing hopes will eventually link China's southwestern hub city of Kunming with Asia's second busiest port of Singapore.

The largest line will cut 734 kilometres through Thailand, from northern Nong Khai province -- which borders Laos -- to the vast, coastal industrial estate of Map Ta Phut, southeast of Bangkok.

Prajin, the former head of Thailand's airforce, said construction on that line would be divided up into four stages with the first beginning in September, laying down tracks between Map Ta Phut and Kaeng Khoi, via the capital.

In total the four stages are expected to cost around 400 billion baht ($12 billion), the Ministry of Transport said in a statement.

Completion of all stages is expected by around 2020 with further meetings to be held in Beijing in February to decide the level of Chinese involvement.

Thailand's generals, who took over in May, are desperate to project an image of business-as-usual after their coup was strongly criticised by Western allies.

The Thai economy remains weak after months of anti-government protests hobbled the previous administration, and the US and European Union have repeatedly called for a swift return to democracy.

But Bangkok's relationship with Beijing has blossomed.

"This is a new era in Thailand and China's relationship," Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters at a press conference Thursday.

Last month Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Thai junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who is also prime minister, signed an agreement over the railway's construction in a visit widely interpreted as an endorsement by Beijing of Thailand's new military rulers.

China has in recent months devoted diplomatic energy, as well as huge sums of money, to wooing some Southeast Asian nations, where its reputation as a regional powerhouse is blighted by sea disputes and fears over its long-term intentions.

In November Beijing pledged $20 billion in soft loans and for infrastructure projects to the 10-members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during a summit in Myanmar.

Experts say it is determined to outmanoeuvre the US, which has embarked on a security "pivot" towards Asia, as well bolster its trade routes and access to resources as China's breakneck development continues.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-01-23

chainarong · January 23, 2015

As I've said before, to lay a two track line from Nong Khai to BKK in two & half years will involve heavy equipment and not much labour, hope everyone understands that , any dreams of making a fortune will only possibly be between the management.

BSJ · January 23, 2015

Does the government need to acquire any land for this project?

chotthee · January 23, 2015

Thank you Prayuth for giving high speed railway to Thailand.

You are truly the father of modern Thailand modernization.

cooked · January 23, 2015

I watched while successive governments in the UK dismantled the rail network bit by bit. They decided to invest in road works, nowadays you can't even use what is left of the rail network for freight. The traffic in the UK is an abomination as well as the damage that has been done to the environment. Very good decision.

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

Does the government need to acquire any land for this project?

I'd imagine there will be some. It depends on the alignment on the new Railway

I'd be interested to see how many Kilometres "A phase" is if it only taking 2 and a half years

The 2020 date is more realistic from what we have heard before , but I still think its an optimistic claim. They have no feasibility study and no design , so how to estimate ?

empireboy · January 23, 2015

Good to hear!

DaddyWarbucks · January 23, 2015

I watched while successive governments in the UK dismantled the rail network bit by bit. They decided to invest in road works, nowadays you can't even use what is left of the rail network for freight. The traffic in the UK is an abomination as well as the damage that has been done to the environment. Very good decision.

Much the same thing happened in many parts of the US, with the Interstate highway system and heavy trucking replacing railways.

The result has been a disaster on many levels.

cooked · January 23, 2015

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does the government need to acquire any land for this project?

I'd imagine there will be some. It depends on the alignment on the new Railway

I'd be interested to see how many Kilometres "A phase" is if it only taking 2 and a half years

The 2020 date is more realistic from what we have heard before , but I still think its an optimistic claim. They have no feasibility study and no design , so how to estimate ?

Around here they have started to fence in what must be railway property along the railway lines(not that it does any good, you see pushed over fences everywhere) The land is about 10 metres on each side of the tracks. This land must have been obtained many years ago when land was cheap or didn't really belong to anyone.

FangFerang · January 23, 2015

Wow. That happened fast...

?

cooked · January 23, 2015

Wow. That happened fast...

?

Not really, this started two or three years ago. One guy even built a rice storage place on railway land near here, that's why they started I guess.

ratcatcher · January 23, 2015

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does the government need to acquire any land for this project?

I'd imagine there will be some. It depends on the alignment on the new Railway

I'd be interested to see how many Kilometres "A phase" is if it only taking 2 and a half years

The 2020 date is more realistic from what we have heard before , but I still think its an optimistic claim. They have no feasibility study and no design , so how to estimate ?

Around here they have started to fence in what must be railway property along the railway lines(not that it does any good, you see pushed over fences everywhere) The land is about 10 metres on each side of the tracks. This land must have been obtained many years ago when land was cheap or didn't really belong to anyone.

Around here they have started to fence in what must be railway property

I have often wondered what life must be like in "around here". Probably similar to life in " around there"?

Any specific area, town?

The railways traditionally own land on either side of the actual tracks called "Right of Way (ROW)

The SRT tracks were invariably in place before the roads and construction encroached.

In this case, I believe , the Kaeng Khoi Jct to Chachoengsao ROW is a later addition to the sytem and runs mostly through rural farmland.

As E.P says, 2020 is a more realistic target date. Perhaps the soothsayers were involved in the time frame?

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does the government need to acquire any land for this project?

I'd imagine there will be some. It depends on the alignment on the new Railway

I'd be interested to see how many Kilometres "A phase" is if it only taking 2 and a half years

The 2020 date is more realistic from what we have heard before , but I still think its an optimistic claim. They have no feasibility study and no design , so how to estimate ?

Around here they have started to fence in what must be railway property along the railway lines(not that it does any good, you see pushed over fences everywhere) The land is about 10 metres on each side of the tracks. This land must have been obtained many years ago when land was cheap or didn't really belong to anyone.

Thats quite a wide Right of way , as its called. It would not be sensible to fence it all first , the constructor need access and if the fencing is in the way it will have to come down. Normally the Civil work is done before the fencing and then fenced with access points for Track contractors

cooked · January 23, 2015

As I tried, inadequately apparently, to explain, they started fencing years ago. Nothing to do with this project.

sent from phone using bih thumbs

CapFarmer · January 23, 2015

Hoping for the best, but the article didn't mention a year for starting, only that the project would begin Sep or Oct and last ~ 2-3 years. So, assuming a normal late start of a year or so and delays of at least 3-4 years in completion... Seems like they have a lot of serious investors from around Asia and Europr this time, so maybe it will happen, but they have a history of announcing railway projects with huge fan fare, spending tons on studies and then nothing happens....

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

Hoping for the best, but the article didn't mention a year for starting, only that the project would begin Sep or Oct and last ~ 2-3 years. So, assuming a normal late start of a year or so and delays of at least 3-4 years in completion... Seems like they have a lot of serious investors from around Asia and Europr this time, so maybe it will happen, but they have a history of announcing railway projects with huge fan fare, spending tons on studies and then nothing happens....

Agree , imo they are nowhere near starting , depends what the men by"Start" I suppose . But there is no design for the many viaducts and tunnels that will be needed. They have no "Official" alignment so how to design a tunnel or viaduct if you don't know exactly where to put it. The Chinese dont let technical issues slow them down , but then you end up wit a Railway that lasts for 20 years instead of 60

NCC1701A · January 23, 2015

will there be uncontrolled road crossings? lets hope not.

how fast will these babies go?

who is going to drive the trains?

will the train stations be remodeled? that would be nice.

Anthony5 · January 23, 2015

Thank you Prayuth for giving high speed railway to Thailand.

You are truly the father of modern Thailand modernization.

Pssstt, it isn't high speed, it was the former government that proposed high speed rail.

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

will there be uncontrolled road crossings? lets hope not.

how fast will these babies go?

who is going to drive the trains?

will the train stations be remodeled? that would be nice.

1 Shouldn't be , many places have done away with them , culverts , bridges and something they have called a PMB (Pedestrian , Motorbike bridge) The amount they have to built wont be cheap, so they may swerve it

140-160 is realistic

Thais , I'd image

They will have to be , the platforms will have to accommodate longer trains with higher carriages

sanuk711 · January 23, 2015

As I tried, inadequately apparently, to explain, they started fencing years ago. Nothing to do with this project.

sent from phone using bih thumbs

"cooked lives Around here"..........................

.

As important as you are cooked, there are just the odd few people, who surprisingly don't know where you live....

Edited January 23, 2015 by sanuk711

Goldie09 · January 23, 2015

Does anyone have a map of the propose Map at put route? Or will it go along the existing route?

Thanks

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

Does anyone have a map of the propose Map at put route? Or will it go along the existing route?
Thanks

I put this on a thread the other day re the alignment

I'm interested to see the alignment they use. Because they are building the new Railway with Standard gauge it becomes problematic building using part of the old alignment. Standard practice if the old and new gauge is the same is to built one line or as much as you can build adjacent to the old track and divert traffic on the 1 new track , then rip out the old and build Track 2 on that alignment , you cannot do that if each tracks gauges are different. There is a way of doing it with dual gauge sleepers but its not cheap or easy. If they go for new alignment not on the old alignment the land acquisitions are very expensive and extremely time consuming

When you consider the time frame. They may break ground on the Formation and civils work later this year but I cannot see any significant progress with Track construction until mid 2016

cooked · January 23, 2015

As I tried, inadequately apparently, to explain, they started fencing years ago. Nothing to do with this project.

sent from phone using bih thumbs

"cooked lives Around here"..........................

.

As important as you are cooked, there are just the odd few people, who surprisingly don't know where you live....

AS rude as you are, sir, you only have to look on my profile to see where I live. Unlike most people, I actually don't hide the fact that I am male, for instance.

It really doesn't matter where I live, I was imagining that what is the case here would be the case in many other places. As you seem a bit slow picking things up this morning, I was indicating that the railroads own land on both sides of the tracks. AROUND HERE at least.

rickirs · January 23, 2015

Thank you Prayuth for giving high speed railway to Thailand.

You are truly the father of modern Thailand modernization.

Actually, all General Prayuth has given Thailand is the Memorandum of Understanding and $12 billion in foreign debt. It is the Chinese who are supplying the technology, design, and construction of the dual rail system. And so for the next twenty years, China will own the system.

Thank you Prayuth for selling out the nation.

khunken · January 23, 2015

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone have a map of the propose Map at put route? Or will it go along the existing route?

Thanks

I put this on a thread the other day re the alignment

I'm interested to see the alignment they use. Because they are building the new Railway with Standard gauge it becomes problematic building using part of the old alignment. Standard practice if the old and new gauge is the same is to built one line or as much as you can build adjacent to the old track and divert traffic on the 1 new track , then rip out the old and build Track 2 on that alignment , you cannot do that if each tracks gauges are different. There is a way of doing it with dual gauge sleepers but its not cheap or easy. If they go for new alignment not on the old alignment the land acquisitions are very expensive and extremely time consuming

When you consider the time frame. They may break ground on the Formation and civils work later this year but I cannot see any significant progress with Track construction until mid 2016

I think you need to read the Op again:

With Chinese help, Bangkok plans to lay down two new dual track lines, part of a wider regional network........

It's also not clear whether the new tracks will be on SRT land (i.e. next to existing tracks) or will require new land acquisition all the way. At least part will be new as there is no existing line to Rayong, only to Sattahip. It would be nice to see a route map.

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone have a map of the propose Map at put route? Or will it go along the existing route?
Thanks

I put this on a thread the other day re the alignment

I'm interested to see the alignment they use. Because they are building the new Railway with Standard gauge it becomes problematic building using part of the old alignment. Standard practice if the old and new gauge is the same is to built one line or as much as you can build adjacent to the old track and divert traffic on the 1 new track , then rip out the old and build Track 2 on that alignment , you cannot do that if each tracks gauges are different. There is a way of doing it with dual gauge sleepers but its not cheap or easy. If they go for new alignment not on the old alignment the land acquisitions are very expensive and extremely time consuming

When you consider the time frame. They may break ground on the Formation and civils work later this year but I cannot see any significant progress with Track construction until mid 2016

I think you need to read the Op again:

With Chinese help, Bangkok plans to lay down two new dual track lines, part of a wider regional network........

It's also not clear whether the new tracks will be on SRT land (i.e. next to existing tracks) or will require new land acquisition all the way. At least part will be new as there is no existing line to Rayong, only to Sattahip. It would be nice to see a route map.

Yes I understand it a standard gauge double track I just spen 5 years building double track in Malaysia , The problem comes with that if it is built partially on the old alignment. You still have to run a service on 1 metre gauge during construction, so you cannot divert traffic to allow Civil works on the area of the Existing track if SRT have no standard gauge rolling stock

ExPratt · January 23, 2015

I'm talking about construction not completion

..." built one line or as much as you can build adjacent to the old track and divert traffic on the 1 new track , then rip out the old and build Track 2 on that alignment , you cannot do that if each tracks gauges are different."

Lets say I build a standard gauge single track next to the existing Track , I them have to remove the existing 1 m gauge and install standard for the second track , when I do this where does the train service go if there are no standard gauge trains. It involves plenty of temporary track diversions and signalling

Now if they build on greenfield new alignment they wont have this problem , but it would probably be considerable more expensive

Edited January 23, 2015 by ExPratt

Lee4Life · January 24, 2015

What happens if the rail project through Laos doesn't work out?

ExPratt · January 24, 2015

What happens if the rail project through Laos doesn't work out?

Thailand will have a new railway from Nong Khai to Khorat. It doesn't have to be built in a linear fashion , though it makes sense

Lee4Life · January 24, 2015

Thank you Prayuth for giving high speed railway to Thailand.

You are truly the father of modern Thailand modernization.

Pssstt, it isn't high speed, it was the former government that proposed high speed rail.

I thought the only rail projects the Chinese were interested in were high speed, both in Laos and Thailand. Gets kind of confusing I guess, with all of the different news reports over the years.

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