Thai Deputy PM: All electric train projects on schedule

[webfact]

Deputy PM: All electric train projects on schedule

BANGKOK, 3 December 2015 - (NNT) Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Chatusripitak has confirmed all electric train projects are moving forward and the government's infrastructure investment will enter the system in the first quarter 2016.

Mr. Somkid on Wednesday said all electric train projects were progressing as planned and there would be bidding for them by 2016. The Orange Line train, many double track railway projects and motorway project were about to be considered by the Cabinet, said the deputy PM.

The government's 100-billion baht investment, which would be disbursed in the first quarter next year, would play an important role in steering the Thai economy in the future said Mr. Somkid.

As for the Thai-China train project, the duty premier said it was progressing as previously planned. Mr. Somkid added. He said Thailand was holding talks with China on contractors and interest rates offered by China.


-- NNT 2015-12-03

[bendejo]

All electric train projects on schedule

The tracks will go ALL THE WAY around the xmas tree!

[thesetat2013]

Another case of one person not knowing what the other says this providing doubt about everything. Just yesterday they said all deals with China for the railway system had been put on hold due to China changing their deal about accepting old rubber as well as new rubber. Now they are claiming they are still talking about interest rates for the loan to build it. So who is lying or did Thailand accept China's demand that no old rubber or rice to be sent there? In another article today it talks about a G2G deal with the rice as well and that China will be sent only new rice. Are these articles related? Did Thailand accept China's demands for sending them only new rice and rubber only?

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Another case of one person not knowing what the other says this providing doubt about everything. Just yesterday they said all deals with China for the railway system had been put on hold due to China changing their deal about accepting old rubber as well as new rubber. Now they are claiming they are still talking about interest rates for the loan to build it. So who is lying or did Thailand accept China's demand that no old rubber or rice to be sent there? In another article today it talks about a G2G deal with the rice as well and that China will be sent only new rice. Are these articles related? Did Thailand accept China's demands for sending them only new rice and rubber only?

You are asking too many questions which can create confusion. Please stop thinking, stop asking difficult questions, just be happy until we say otherwise. Okay.

[trainman34014]

One presumes Hornby are delivering the rest of the parts shortly !

[Srikcir]

The government's investment in the all electric train projects will improve GDP growth, both in the short term and long term.

But the loss of 70% of GDP growth from exports will not be compensated by government investment and tourism in the near term (2016-2017) that have historically amounted to 30% of GDP. It will take at least 5 years to shift exports to new market (ie., Iran, Africa) or longer if the EU and USA impose economic sanctions on Thai products.

The best thing that can also happen now for Thailand's GDP growth is to cease negotiations with the Chinese over funding for the dual rail project and finance the project solely with a Private-Public Partnership. This also allows 100% Thai development of the railway corridor without collaboration of the Chinese.

[thesetat2013]

Another case of one person not knowing what the other says this providing doubt about everything. Just yesterday they said all deals with China for the railway system had been put on hold due to China changing their deal about accepting old rubber as well as new rubber. Now they are claiming they are still talking about interest rates for the loan to build it. So who is lying or did Thailand accept China's demand that no old rubber or rice to be sent there? In another article today it talks about a G2G deal with the rice as well and that China will be sent only new rice. Are these articles related? Did Thailand accept China's demands for sending them only new rice and rubber only?

You are asking too many questions which can create confusion. Please stop thinking, stop asking difficult questions, just be happy until we say otherwise. Okay.

mai pan rai

[ratcatcher]

It gets even more confusing when they mention the HS Chinese trains from Nong Khai to Bangkok, the electric trains (the colored lines around Bangkok and suburbs) which are standard gauge and the 'double tracking' of the one metre gauge SRT. None of this coordinates with anything else.

Chinese rolling stock will not operate on the SRT present system. Quite confusing.

[tuanku]

The Dictator Mussolini managed to get the trains to run on time

[Ricardo]

The government's investment in the all electric train projects will improve GDP growth, both in the short term and long term.

But the loss of 70% of GDP growth from exports will not be compensated by government investment and tourism in the near term (2016-2017) that have historically amounted to 30% of GDP. It will take at least 5 years to shift exports to new market (ie., Iran, Africa) or longer if the EU and USA impose economic sanctions on Thai products.

The best thing that can also happen now for Thailand's GDP growth is to cease negotiations with the Chinese over funding for the dual rail project and finance the project solely with a Private-Public Partnership. This also allows 100% Thai development of the railway corridor without collaboration of the Chinese.

Sorry to disagree in-part, but it would be absolute folly IMO, for Thailand to carry the full financial-burden of building the Thai section of this project, when they have no control over how much freight the Chinese will be sending down down the line. They could end up getting screwed, if global trade changes, and China decides to focus on Chinese ports for Chinese exports instead.

I also doubt that it would be wise to allow full-control over construction-standards to rest solely with Thailand, which doesn't have a great history of preventing corruption from delivering a sub-standard outcome, Swampy & the airport-link to mention just a couple of recent examples.

This project is mainly for China's economic-benefit, they should therefore pay for it, with Thailand paying for the cost of the add-on passenger-capability or freight-loading facilities for sending Thai agricultural/industrial-products northwards.

But I agree with you, fixing the causes of Thailands' rising problems with sanctions or finding new export-markets to replace old ones, that's not a five-minute job. They took years, if not decades, to develop and so will putting the solutions in place.