Phuket light-rail price tag jumps B9bn

Chutharat Plerin

 

Several images included in the revised plans. Images: OTP

 

PHUKET: -- The price tag for Phuket’s long-awaited light-rail system has jumped B9 billion now that the revised plans have included six underpasses, officials in Bangkok have confirmed.

 

Sirigate Aphirat, a policy and planning officer at the Ministry of Transport’s Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), confirmed this week, “This project has been added to the Fast Track Project of 2017 government budget, which has been fully supported to get the project done as quickly as possible.”

 

“The budget for this project is B39.4 billion,” Mr Sirigate said.

 

In his explanation of what had caused the B9bn jump in price, Mr Sirigate avoided specifics, and said, “We had to change the plans, such as making the plans suitable for the area and ensuring the project is safe.”

 

But in February this year Nirun Ketkao, Acting Director of Bureau of Regional Transport and Traffic Promotion, explained that the cost of building all six “tunnels” had yet to be estimated.

 

“We cannot estimate cost of tunnels at this stage as the budget for these has yet to be calculated,” he said. 

 

Finalising the plans has seen the budget requirement balloon from B23.5 billion in November 2015 to B30bn reported in December (see story here) – and now jump another B9bn in the past six months.

 

Mr Sirigate this week admitted that the project still had yet to pass its critical Environmental Impact Assessment. “We are finalising our plans and will present them to the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning (ONEP),” he said.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-light-rail-price-tag-jumps-b9bn-62391.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-06-01

Of course there's been a price rise.....commissions have now been applied!

But anyway, if this project actually does ever get going, will it ever finish?

Yeah, I think large diameter bores are cheaper than building overpasses these days.  

Even more in kick backs permits ...

3 hours ago, kalidescopemind said:

Yeah, I think large diameter bores are cheaper than building overpasses these days.  

Maybe need larger brown rectangular envelopes.

They must have forgotten somebody really big at the trough. 

Oh how I love this country's elite, they never miss the chance of a buck or two landing in the back pocket

Will not be used unless they have a regular bus service operating from every station so people can get to their destinations, very few people will live within walking distance of the stations

Interesting images, that will no doubt bear little resemblance to any finished article. There can't be many places on the route with room for a station plus a three lane highway either side.

2 hours ago, madmax2 said:

Will not be used unless they have a regular bus service operating from every station so people can get to their destinations, very few people will live within walking distance of the stations

Railways in any country in the world don't run within walking distance of everyone's house, but people still use them. What happens in places like England, Bangkok or Perth?

As I've stated before, bus services will come, as the need created by the railway begins. Motorbikes and normal taxis will become available for short journeys from the stations at a reasonable price. People will tend to populate areas near stations (buy land now!), as happens in Bangkok and similar cities. The whole thing will escalate, eventually forcing out the criminal cartels.

That is my hope. 

 

59 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Railways in any country in the world don't run within walking distance of everyone's house, but people still use them. What happens in places like England, Bangkok or Perth?

As I've stated before, bus services will come, as the need created by the railway begins. Motorbikes and normal taxis will become available for short journeys from the stations at a reasonable price. People will tend to populate areas near stations (buy land now!), as happens in Bangkok and similar cities. The whole thing will escalate, eventually forcing out the criminal cartels.

That is my hope. 

 

In Perth as they expanded the rail system they also expanded the bus system and road system at the same time to service it, also every station had a reasonable amount of free public parking when they were built, which is not enough now by a long way, do you believe they will supply free public parking here ??

Almost no one else does in any quantity to service their business, govt or private 

Perth Australia, not Perth Scotland of coarse

http://www.fishingnet.com/coarse_fishing.htm

22 hours ago, madmitch said:

Interesting images, that will no doubt bear little resemblance to any finished article. There can't be many places on the route with room for a station plus a three lane highway either side.

Agreed..i asked in the other thread where this necessary 8-10 metre wide strip of land was.

No replies,no info available, so i guess it is just another pipe dream in a series of pipe dreams for the island.

Unless the light railway circumvents the whole island, it then really is a waste of time, and should be scrapped. As for the so-called underpasses, most of which are completely useless, and doesn't address the problem with traffic flow, nor the amount of traffic on the roads. I'm afraid the administration of the Island are again not aligned with the realities that Phuket face.