Construction of Thai-Chinese railway project to get started in August or September

[webfact]

Construction of Thai-Chinese railway project to get started in August or September



BANGKOK, 16 May 2016 (NNT) - Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith announced that the 10th meeting of a joint committee for a Thai-Chinese railway cooperation project went smoothly.

Thailand will be responsible for the project’s investment capital and China will consider reducing construction and rail system costs while maintaining safety standards and suitability details of which will be resolved within one week.

The construction is divided into two parts: the construction of infrastructure and rail system and that of a high-speed train. The construction is expected to get started within August or September.

-- NNT 2016-05-16

[leeneeds]

The pondering of safety standards !

you first must have a standard that is either higher or lower

to an international standard.

one doubts that these two have such a standard

and resolved in one week

is just fantastic ,

understanding and communication to a higher level

Amazing.

[mtls2005]

China's rapid and massive build-out of rail infrastructure has been impressive, but it has been bathed in corruption, shoddy construction and debt.

Read about Liu Zhijun aka: Boss Rail (ex-Minister of Railways, sentenced to death for corruption).

China National Rail’s debt over $600 bn, twice the size of Greece’s obligations

China Rail's losses rose 35% year-on-year to 8.73 billion yuan in the first quarter.

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/economy/china-national-rails-debt-over-600-bn-twice-the-size-of-greeces-obligations/249271/

[BSJ]

Apparently they are considering doing away with all those pesky light signals and and associated cabling for something tried and true.

[ross163103]

I hope this project doesn't happen, can't imagine the amount of Chinese that would be here. Beach road in Pattaya wouldn't be a road anymore...just a footpath for the Chinese going from their hotels to Koh Lan. Also I can't help but think about what happened when the Chinese built a rail line to Tibet.....

Edited May 16, 2016 by ross163103

[chainarong]

China's rapid and massive build-out of rail infrastructure has been impressive, but it has been bathed in corruption, shoddy construction and debt.

Read about Liu Zhijun aka: Boss Rail (ex-Minister of Railways, sentenced to death for corruption).

China National Rail’s debt over $600 bn, twice the size of Greece’s obligations

China Rail's losses rose 35% year-on-year to 8.73 billion yuan in the first quarter.

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/economy/china-national-rails-debt-over-600-bn-twice-the-size-of-greeces-obligations/249271/

I could speak for weeks on China's rail achievement , however one word would cover it here torturous .

[chainarong]

This is indeed wonderful news for Thailand, they will meet all investment capital obligations and China will institute ways and means to reduce construction and railway network costs , one hopes they don't siphon of the cream into their pockets and place in substandard rails , concrete sleepers, substandard steel used in loco's drive axles , no lightning conductors on electric signalling or power lines , faulty instrument panels that tell the driver he has a green signal ahead when it is on red, and driver tuition of 8 hrs in a simulator ,( Germany and UK it takes 4 years ) , this is just some of the findings after a ABB audit, carried out by request from the Chinese government, total safety faults amounted to over 1500, reducing costs indeed..............................................

Edited May 16, 2016 by chainarong

[burgdawg]

Chinese-Tai rail line?

This is just a Tai olive branch to assimilate and thwart China wanting to dump big loans on neighboring countries to send them to the poor hays. We do not hear much about a Chinese-Vietnamese improvements in rail, do we now? The Viets know exactly what the Chinese are made of.

The Chinese get all puffed-up about NSR---New Silk Road. Just a Trojan Horse Scam of epic proportions. I thought the Tai were going ahead with a Bkk-Korat rail line with Japanese engineering expertise. Did I miss something?

The Japanese have a great background in rail. The Japanese built and financed BKK's BTS SkyTrain system in the early 1990s, did they not? Why all this puffery about China this and that?

I agree with a poster above---divisions between countries is a good thing. "Free Trade" is a globalist scam. Oh yeah, Chinese would be zipping through Laos enroute to trashing out Thailand for the weekend---spitting everywhere humanely possible. Just great!

PS...check back to these pages in August-September. My money is on August-Septemnber 2026. This ambitious rail line will be built---but not in anyone's lifetime currently breathing. Too much under the radar mistrust. The mistrust born of ages.

[mesterm]

Two countries with highly questionable quality control. Building a massive, high-speed railway. Great.

[trainman34014]

The tenth meeting and they still haven't sorted out the financing or safety issues. However; i'm sure the wine flow and lunch sections were the parts that 'went smoothly'. I wait with baited breath for the results of the 20th meeting !

[12DrinkMore]

This is indeed wonderful news for Thailand, they will meet all investment capital obligations and China will institute ways and means to reduce construction and railway network costs , one hopes they don't siphon of the cream into their pockets and place in substandard rails , concrete sleepers, substandard steel used in loco's drive axles , no lightning conductors on electric signalling or power lines , faulty instrument panels that tell the driver he has a green signal ahead when it is on red, and driver tuition of 8 hrs in a simulator ,( Germany and UK it takes 4 years ) , this is just some of the findings after a ABB audit, carried out by request from the Chinese government, total safety faults amounted to over 1500, reducing costs indeed..............................................

In the UK it takes 9-18 months.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/traindriver.aspx

[phoenixdoglover]

And the budgeted cost is...?

Hehehe. Who am I kidding?

[Morakot]

This is indeed wonderful news for Thailand, they will meet all investment capital obligations and China will institute ways and means to reduce construction and railway network costs , one hopes they don't siphon of the cream into their pockets and place in substandard rails , concrete sleepers, substandard steel used in loco's drive axles , no lightning conductors on electric signalling or power lines , faulty instrument panels that tell the driver he has a green signal ahead when it is on red, and driver tuition of 8 hrs in a simulator ,( Germany and UK it takes 4 years ) , this is just some of the findings after a ABB audit, carried out by request from the Chinese government, total safety faults amounted to over 1500, reducing costs indeed..............................................

In the UK it takes 9-18 months.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/traindriver.aspx

No wonder they cannot deal with the "wrong types of leaves" on the line....

Edited May 16, 2016 by Morakot

[Berty100]

The Japanese have a great background in rail. The Japanese built and financed BKK's BTS SkyTrain system in the early 1990s, did they not? Why all this puffery about China this and that?

Siemens must be Japanese then

[IMA_FARANG]

i suppose then the vital financial matters....that of who gets the "commissions" and the "kickbacks" has already beem resolved?

[soc]

The tenth meeting and they still haven't sorted out the financing or safety issues. However; i'm sure the wine flow and lunch sections were the parts that 'went smoothly'. I wait with baited breath for the results of the 20th meeting !

you mean bated breath.

[johng]

The Japanese have a great background in rail. The Japanese built and financed BKK's BTS SkyTrain system in the early 1990s, did they not? Why all this puffery about China this and that?

Siemens must be Japanese then

I thought it was Italy-Thai who built the sky train ?

[Srikcir]

This is indeed wonderful news for Thailand, they will meet all investment capital obligations and China will institute ways and means to reduce construction and railway network costs , one hopes they don't siphon of the cream into their pockets and place in substandard rails , concrete sleepers, substandard steel used in loco's drive axles , no lightning conductors on electric signalling or power lines , faulty instrument panels that tell the driver he has a green signal ahead when it is on red, and driver tuition of 8 hrs in a simulator ,( Germany and UK it takes 4 years ) , this is just some of the findings after a ABB audit, carried out by request from the Chinese government, total safety faults amounted to over 1500, reducing costs indeed..............................................

Somkid - Infrastructure projects will boost GDP growth for 2016.

Arkhom - "Economic returns from rail projects are complicated by long payback periods, which can be decades"

The rush into this project is more an immediate economic benefit to the Chinese for its own GDP growth than to Thailand. But it has become a showcase for the Junta to demonstrate its success in reviving the economy, albeit planning and negotiations began before Prayut's coup.

[ratcatcher]

The tenth meeting and they still haven't sorted out the financing or safety issues. However; i'm sure the wine flow and lunch sections were the parts that 'went smoothly'. I wait with baited breath for the results of the 20th meeting !

you mean bated breath.

Depends if he's been eating Pla Ra

[ratcatcher]

[chainarong]

This is indeed wonderful news for Thailand, they will meet all investment capital obligations and China will institute ways and means to reduce construction and railway network costs , one hopes they don't siphon of the cream into their pockets and place in substandard rails , concrete sleepers, substandard steel used in loco's drive axles , no lightning conductors on electric signalling or power lines , faulty instrument panels that tell the driver he has a green signal ahead when it is on red, and driver tuition of 8 hrs in a simulator ,( Germany and UK it takes 4 years ) , this is just some of the findings after a ABB audit, carried out by request from the Chinese government, total safety faults amounted to over 1500, reducing costs indeed..............................................

Somkid - Infrastructure projects will boost GDP growth for 2016.

Arkhom - "Economic returns from rail projects are complicated by long payback periods, which can be decades"

The rush into this project is more an immediate economic benefit to the Chinese for its own GDP growth than to Thailand. But it has become a showcase for the Junta to demonstrate its success in reviving the economy, albeit planning and negotiations began before Prayut's coup.

Unless it is engineered properly this could end in disartster and that should take about 10years , fancy leaving the scaling back on the project, and it hasn't started , to the Chinese

[chainarong]

This is indeed wonderful news for Thailand, they will meet all investment capital obligations and China will institute ways and means to reduce construction and railway network costs , one hopes they don't siphon of the cream into their pockets and place in substandard rails , concrete sleepers, substandard steel used in loco's drive axles , no lightning conductors on electric signalling or power lines , faulty instrument panels that tell the driver he has a green signal ahead when it is on red, and driver tuition of 8 hrs in a simulator ,( Germany and UK it takes 4 years ) , this is just some of the findings after a ABB audit, carried out by request from the Chinese government, total safety faults amounted to over 1500, reducing costs indeed..............................................

In the UK it takes 9-18 months.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/traindriver.aspx

Doubtful, it takes 5 years to get to driver from trainee engineman or Drivers assistant, when you drive stuff at 350 it is another complete handling detail from speeds of 170

[Strangebrew]

Now from personal experience I find that Europe's train system is the best Japan secound and the US still needing improvement Thailand muchless China don't even enter the picture. Only good to come out it will be less wait time for derailment and China getting free access to ports in Burma ,Yes I know it not called that anymore.

[Siamwhiteelephant]

I think the project is eminently glorious and of utmost priority. It will provide a platform to showcase the Junta’s finest success, will keep new bf China happy for years to come, and electrifies and effectively unifies the TV posters on track for another release of their pent-up heads of steam.

[bobbymack]

From the article it seems the Chinese have pulled out in reality as Thailand is paying for everything. Seems the restrictive Thai business laws for foreigners have put the Chinese off. Not really a joint investment venture is it, if Thailand are just paying the Chinese to help them with the railway.

It seems therefore that even the Chinese don't want to risk their money in a failed State.

Edited May 17, 2016 by bobbymack

[KhunBENQ]

Now from personal experience I find that Europe's train system is the best Japan secound and the US still needing improvement Thailand muchless China don't even enter the picture. Only good to come out it will be less wait time for derailment and China getting free access to ports in Burma ,Yes I know it not called that anymore.

I have seen a report about the soon to be opened 57 km Gotthard base-tunnel in Switzerland, it's railway construction, vehicles, safety system/equipment, ETCS 2 (European Train Control System 2) etc.

Viewing from here it is like a report from a different planet

Edited May 18, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[CGW]

The Japanese have a great background in rail. The Japanese built and financed BKK's BTS SkyTrain system in the early 1990s, did they not? Why all this puffery about China this and that?

Siemens must be Japanese then

I thought it was Italy-Thai who built the sky train ?

Hopewell started the project, think they are still waiting to get paid? its an interesting story that shows how little things have changed, worth looking up.

[johng]

Hopwell Thailands Stonehenge.

[Tomtomtom69]

Now which railway line is this now? A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the Thai government wants to go it alone and start construction of a Bangkok-Nakorn Ratchasima high-speed railway line with Chinese technology after the original Chinese plan to build a line from the Lao border to Bangkok and Mabthaput was abandoned. Surely they didn't just change their minds again and will be going ahead with the original plan after all?

If so, expect another article in 2 weeks with the headline 'Chinese railway deal cancelled'. Now when the railway line ACTUALLY starts being constructed, then let's hear about it. Until then, this kind of article is a waste of the readers time. They've been saying it's on, then off, then on again for months now. Give us a break, this merry-go-round is getting boring.

[rubl]

This may be the Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima stretch

Some facts about this line and the new term:

1. This is no longer called medium speed train
2. This is High-speed rail running 250 km/h and there would no longer be cargo train sharing the line
3. 100% Thai investment
4. Use technology from China

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=132753095&postcount=567

Edited May 21, 2016 by rubl