Bang Sue Grand Station plans still on track

[webfact]

Bang Sue Grand Station Plans Still on Track
BY JACOB MASLOW



BANGKOK: -- Bang Sue Grand Station, the mega-investment project, is on track for construction to begin in 2018. Yesterday, private developers asked for more flexibility in handing over the developed areas, a longer land-lease term, and additional tax incentives.

At the SRT’s seminar, SRT deputy governor Panthop Malakul Na Ayutthya stated that the project will be submitted to the cabinet for approval for private participation under a public-private partnership scheme. Handling the project this way would allow for private participation, and the selection process is expected to start in 2017. Investment could then begin in 2018.

Approximately 100 representatives from overseas and domestic sectors were in attendance at the meeting.

Full story: http://ethailand.com/business-news/bang-sue-grand-station-plans-still-on-track/601/

-- eThailand 2015-12-04

[Ricardo]

I wonder what lunch-packs will be available at the planned new hub for Thai railways ?

But to get more serious, it's good news that a big new Bangkok passenger-terminal is to be built for the growing Thai rail-system, Hualumpong has outserved its purpose and is now due for replacement, especially if the Chinese/Japanese-projects get built.

Airport-links to Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi (or even Utapao ?) will be important, also to the three main bus-terminals and onwards into urban Bangkok, for this new station to have its fullest impact.

And there will need to be some sort of freight-interchange too, switching containers from any new medium-speed standard-gauge lines onto the improved double-tracked metre-gauge network linking to the rest of the country or down to Malaysia/Singapore, and also serving the greater-Bangkok area.

Like the original (mostly) single-track metre-gauge lines, this plan should have a major long-term economic-benefit to Thailand, the new Bangkok-terminus for passengers at Bang-Sue is an important step.

Let's hope the planners have a clear vision of this, and that their plans aren't over-ridden or distorted by short-term political-posturing or corruption, that might well harm the country's longer-term development. This is more than just a new station. It's important to get it right !

[mike324]

Its well on track, you can follow the link below to see some pictures and discussions

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=536809&page=60

[nong38]

Thinking of the future is one brand new station enough? If they are really serious about a larger rail network and I hope they are then they should be thinking of more than one. They also should be thinking about a Bangkok avoiding line so freight does not need to go into Bangkok if not required to do so and wherever possible passenger and freight should be kept apart. Then there is the big question about guage, you can leave all the old network on metre guage but anything new should be standard, then it more easily match anything from Japan and China.

There are a lot of big issues, just need to get them right, forgot to mention safety as well sorry about that.

[ratcatcher]

I wonder what lunch-packs will be available at the planned new hub for Thai railways ?

But to get more serious, it's good news that a big new Bangkok passenger-terminal is to be built for the growing Thai rail-system, Hualumpong has outserved its purpose and is now due for replacement, especially if the Chinese/Japanese-projects get built.

Airport-links to Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi (or even Utapao ?) will be important, also to the three main bus-terminals and onwards into urban Bangkok, for this new station to have its fullest impact.

And there will need to be some sort of freight-interchange too, switching containers from any new medium-speed standard-gauge lines onto the improved double-tracked metre-gauge network linking to the rest of the country or down to Malaysia/Singapore, and also serving the greater-Bangkok area.

Like the original (mostly) single-track metre-gauge lines, this plan should have a major long-term economic-benefit to Thailand, the new Bangkok-terminus for passengers at Bang-Sue is an important step.

Let's hope the planners have a clear vision of this, and that their plans aren't over-ridden or distorted by short-term political-posturing or corruption, that might well harm the country's longer-term development. This is more than just a new station. It's important to get it right !

"And there will need to be some sort of freight-interchange too, switching containers from any new medium-speed standard-gauge lines onto the improved double-tracked metre-gauge network linking to the rest of the country or down to Malaysia/Singapore, and also serving the greater-Bangkok area."

I can't think of anywhere else in the world where this would be economically feasible.

[Ricardo]

"And there will need to be some sort of freight-interchange too, switching containers from any new medium-speed standard-gauge lines onto the improved double-tracked metre-gauge network linking to the rest of the country or down to Malaysia/Singapore, and also serving the greater-Bangkok area."

I can't think of anywhere else in the world where this would be economically feasible.

Reminiscent of the gauge-change days of the trans-Australian line, perhaps, or Brunel's GWR.

But it does still make sense, to double-track (as the SRT plan) metre-gauge all the way from Bangkok to the southern-border, to boost capacity connecting with the recently doubled/upgraded line on to Singapore, as a medium-term option.

Then if sufficient demand emerges, for standard-gauge medium-speed freight all-the-way, bypassing the much-nearer Thai ports which it will currently run to, this can all be built at a later stage. Personally I doubt it will ever run all-the-way to Singapore as first envisaged, but hey, I might be wrong ? If I could look that far into the future, then I'd probably be a billionaire captain-of-industry, rather than retired & posting on ThaiVisa !

But there's no point building the later-stage until it's clearly justified, and meanwhile the existing/doubled Thai network can distribute freight round the rest of the country, God only knows what that might do to Thai industry by-the-way, one wonders whether any government fully-understands the potential implications of easy-access to the Thai market for all those eager Chinese exporters ?