EHIA studies bog down Thai-Chinese high-speed train project

 

BANGKOK:-- The Thai-Chinese high-speed train project has bogged down because the project has failed the environmental and health impacts assessment studies, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on Friday.

 

The project is just a part of the 20-year massive infrastructure development programe which encompasses 20 projects which cost an estimated 1.4 trillion baht in investments.

 

The programme is separated into four phases each take five years of implementation.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ehia-studies-bog-down-thai-chinese-high-speed-train-project/

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-11-05

 

So work isn't already underway, as announced several times, with completion in the next couple-of-years ?

 

Next thing will be that completion is further delayed, by the unexpected time it takes to actually construct the line, and purchase rolling-stock. That's if suitable finance is ever arranged.

And what environment and health aspects would they be? What can be unhealthy about a train and the environment has always taken second place to lucrative contracts and backhanders for the "in-crowd".

A face saving cop-out looming.

If this ever comes in to operation,I dont think trucks and cars

will be able to beat it at the rail crossings,so they are going to

have to make sure they have secure gates,were stupid people

cannot drive around, maybe that"s the  health  aspect of  the 

delay.

regards worgeordie

51 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

If this ever comes in to operation,I dont think trucks and cars

will be able to beat it at the rail crossings,so they are going to

have to make sure they have secure gates,were stupid people

cannot drive around, maybe that"s the  health  aspect of  the 

delay.

regards worgeordie

If they do HST correctly, there will be no grade crossings, just tunnels and overpass bridges.

There will still be crossing challenges for those wishing to commit suicide but the trains will be moving more slowly.

Wait for it ... ARTICLE 44.

As far as I heard the proposed route is no good? 

Maybe it should be Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Khon Kean, Buriram, Korat other major cities then Bangkok. Basically tracking route 2 South. Would this work?

2 hours ago, Ricardo said:

So work isn't already underway, as announced several times, with completion in the next couple-of-years ?

 

Next thing will be that completion is further delayed, by the unexpected time it takes to actually construct the line, and purchase rolling-stock. That's if suitable finance is ever arranged.

Maybe, just maybe, the Government realised high speed rail is not heaven.

Maybe realisation has set in that upgrading existing lines to double track and higher speeds might be a lot cheaper and financially wiser.

Or maybe the Government has found trade with China is always more or less one-way traffic.

And two railway systems competing is not going to work.

 

3 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Maybe, just maybe, the Government realised high speed rail is not heaven.

Maybe realisation has set in that upgrading existing lines to double track and higher speeds might be a lot cheaper and financially wiser.

Or maybe the Government has found trade with China is always more or less one-way traffic.

And two railway systems competing is not going to work.

 

 

A high-speed passenger-only  Thai-domestic network was IMO always a nonsense, and was never going to get actually built, it has existed only as a pre-election dream.

 

But I do believe that a medium-speed freight-line to Laem Chabang makes economic-sense, for the Chinese who ought to be paying for it. An extra port for Chinese-exports could well be needed longer-term, why not use what is already a world-top-20 container-port, on the Gulf of Siam ?

 

One can justify the Thai government contributing the land and even some small part of the construction-cost, in recognition of the limited-gain to the Thai economy, from potential use of the line for domestic passenger-services to the North-East, and from Thai-exports heading North to Laos & China, which probably justifies an inland container-port just outside Bangkok or small extensions to the Eastern Seaboard industrial-areas.

 

Meanwhile the long-running SRT track-dualing project covers areas which anyway mainly won't be served by the medium-speed standard-gauge freight-line to China. Perhaps the Bangkok container-port might transfer some containers, destined to/from other parts of Thailand, to the SRT dual-track metre-gauge network for onward transfer ?

 

IIRC Thailand is anyway trying to get more of Laem Chabang's traffic onto their existing rail-system, to move it to/from other inland container-ports, and reduce the amount which goes by road. The exisiting line into the port has been doubled, and local-stations constructed along it, over the past decade  ...  that seems to make sense. Take the low-hanging fruit first  ...  for the best pay-back.

So why was the Thai-Japan rail cooperation put on hold as mentioned in a previous news article? Can't imagine that being related to environmental and health impacts...


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3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

If this ever comes in to operation,I dont think trucks and cars

will be able to beat it at the rail crossings,so they are going to

have to make sure they have secure gates,were stupid people

cannot drive around, maybe that"s the  health  aspect of  the 

delay.

regards worgeordie

You might well be right worgeordie. It could also be that the trains are more than likely to have some asbestos in them as the New Zealanders found out when they purchased trains from the Chinese.

Sounds like plan B to me.

They also had aspirations for a high speed line in Myanmar but, because work had not commenced three years after the initial agreement had been signed, the memorandum of understanding became void .

As far as I know they haven't resumed negotiations with Japan

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the project has failed the environmental and health impacts assessment studies, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on Friday.

 

Speechless!! This should really pee off Mr. Xi. One would almost think that another one of his "in the fold" countries is slipping away. 

Edited November 5, 20169 yr by elgordo38

Pi** and wind only......another failed project of the junta.....lotteries, street vendors.....anything else succeeded?

2 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Pi** and wind only......another failed project of the junta.....lotteries, street vendors.....anything else succeeded?

 

The merit of not standing for election. He can keep failing and still keep his job.

Has the money been paid already to some politicians?

4 hours ago, Ratcher said:

As far as I heard the proposed route is no good? 

Maybe it should be Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Khon Kean, Buriram, Korat other major cities then Bangkok. Basically tracking route 2 South. Would this work?

Nong Kai, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Korat, Saraburi, Rangsit, Bangkok (Bang Sue)

Buriram is off the direct line following Hwy 2 down to Pathum Thani. Would also avoid Ayuttaya and Ban Phachi junction.

1 hour ago, ChrisY1 said:

Pi** and wind only......another failed project of the junta.....lotteries, street vendors.....anything else succeeded?

 

Not only the current junta, this project has been discussed & announced & started several times, over the past decade, which is why I am doubtful that the less-commercial bits of Thai rail proposals will ever get built.

 

A bad idea remains a bad idea no matter who is in-power.

 

The original idea, for a line to connect China to Singapore, has been around for a century or more !

10 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

If they do HST correctly, there will be no grade crossings, just tunnels and overpass bridges.

There will still be crossing challenges for those wishing to commit suicide but the trains will be moving more slowly.

 

Correct. No 'high speed' thingy with level crossings, just like no real >Autobahn< with traffic lights ...

10 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

If they do HST correctly, there will be no grade crossings, just tunnels and overpass bridges.

There will still be crossing challenges for those wishing to commit suicide but the trains will be moving more slowly.

Ah, but remember where we are.....

You will still get some clown riding his motorcycle along the cess because it is the shortest route home from the karaoke bar!

7 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

You might well be right worgeordie. It could also be that the trains are more than likely to have some asbestos in them as the New Zealanders found out when they purchased trains from the Chinese.

Yes asbestos is still legal in China but so it is in Thailand the fifth biggest importers of asbestos 

 

http://worldasbestosreport.org/articles/killing_future/Thailand_experience.php  

Interested in how you pronounce that acronym..

53 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

Yes asbestos is still legal in China but so it is in Thailand the fifth biggest importers of asbestos 

 

http://worldasbestosreport.org/articles/killing_future/Thailand_experience.php  

Thanks for the cheering news. So much for health concerns in Thailand. Always the same, money comes first.

24 minutes ago, the donger said:

Interested in how you pronounce that acronym..

What acronym would that be don-ger?

12 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

What acronym would that be don-ger?

E HIA

The thought crossed my mind that the EHIA study has the right outcome for the present time.  Certain people may benefit from the delay.