Tram or light railway? Above ground or underground too? Cheap or expensive? Chiang Mai meeting tomorrow

[webfact]

Tram or light railway? Above ground or underground too? Cheap or expensive? Chiang Mai meeting tomorrow

 

Picture: Daily News

 

CHIANG MAI: -- The third meeting of transport authorities and related agencies to discuss the future of transport in Chiang Mai will take place tomorrow.

 

Following a consultative process with the public there are two schemes on the table. Both comprise three routes, Red, Green and Blue.

 

One is Plan A: Tracks would run above ground and underground at a total distance of 35 kilometers. The red line and green line would be 12 kilometers each and the blue line 11 kilometers.

 

This would cost nearly 107 billion baht.

 

The second is plan B: This would all be above ground at a total distance of 40.57 kilometers. The red line would be 15.65 kilometers, green 11.11 and blue 13.81.

 

The cost of this plan would be much cheaper - about 28 and a half billion baht.

 

The plan is to build one of the systems from 2018 to 2020 and open it in 2021.

 

The routes would be as follows:

 

Red: Government Offices Centre (Soon Ratchagarn) - Airport - Mae Hiya

Green: Mae Jo - Kat Luang - Airport

Blue: Chiang Mai Zoo - Tha Phe - Don Jan.

 

Daily News said that the plans are being considered to solve the northern capital's transport woes.

 

Finance is still undecided. It may be funded 100% from government coffers or be a combination of state and private enterprise.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-08-03

[scorecard]

 

Why no mention of a monorail / skytrain system to avoid 'on the ground' traffic problems?

[maewang99]

progress. a good kind.

do it high quality and beautiful. 






  



 

Edited August 3, 2017 by maewang99

[hansnl]

4 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Why no mention of a monorail / skytrain system to avoid 'on the ground' traffic problems?

Well, a monorail system is hugely expensive to build and maintain, while both monorail and skytrain are enormously ugly.

While a kind of lightrail, be it tram or real lightrail, isn't so disturbingly ugly, the cost for building and additional traffic measures are very high, not even mentioning the noise pollution due to railbound traffic.

Why is nobody mentioning a trolleybus system with, if possible, dedicated traffic lanes.

The overhead lines can be very light nowadays, the electric buses are rather silent and can be built in Thailand, while the power on the overhead wires can be switchable, if power needed switched on, if not needed switched off.

 

 

[Classic Ray]

BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), large buses e.g. Bendy buses,  with segregated bus lanes along main routes, priority at traffic lights, and songtaews or small buses feeding them to and from the few bus stops along the route is the cost effective way.

 

They can be electric with charging points along the route or large enough batteries to be charged between runs, or hybrid diesel/electric, no need for trolley wires. 

 

One lane along say Hang Dong Road, Huay Kaew, Superhighway, Canal Road etc can be physically separated for buses to stop other vehicles rat running along them. 

 

Smaller buses could run circular routes around the moat and in some of the ring roads like Canal Rd, Superhighway supplementing the BRT buses and songtaews. 

 

The one essential would would be an ITS Intelligent Transport System, control of traffic lights to trigger the bus priority.

 

One being put in now in Riyadh, many more in the world. Much cheaper than Metros and LRT, and can even be incorporated with a future Metro, as is being done in Riyadh.

 

Edited August 3, 2017 by Classic Ray

[worgeordie]

Cannot see anything happening in the near future,the Government is spending all

the money on more important things,like war weapons.

regards worgeordie

[trainman34014]

This discussion has been going on way back into the very distant past and nothing will come of it; it's just another excuse for more talking and expensive lunches on expenses.

[masuk]

7 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Why no mention of a monorail / skytrain system to avoid 'on the ground' traffic problems?

There is hardly room in Chiang Mai for existing road traffic, let alone build a light rail line.   Follow Bangkok's system and go for skytrain, but it's ugly.

 

Light rail is great, speedy, clean, efficient, but it also needs space for track and disciplined road traffic to keep off the lines.

[naboo]

Only option is the underground option. Above ground the roads are too congested.

 

However, they plan construction of only two years, so overground it is. Open in 2021 for sure. 

[YetAnother]

pointless for whiteskins to attend

[Ruffian Dick]

6 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), large buses e.g. Bendy buses,  with segregated bus lanes along main routes, priority at traffic lights, and songtaews or small buses feeding them to and from the few bus stops along the route is the cost effective way.

 

They can be electric with charging points along the route or large enough batteries to be charged between runs, or hybrid diesel/electric, no need for trolley wires. 

 

One lane along say Hang Dong Road, Huay Kaew, Superhighway, Canal Road etc can be physically separated for buses to stop other vehicles rat running along them. 

 

Smaller buses could run circular routes around the moat and in some of the ring roads like Canal Rd, Superhighway supplementing the BRT buses and songtaews. 

 

The one essential would would be an ITS Intelligent Transport System, control of traffic lights to trigger the bus priority.

 

One being put in now in Riyadh, many more in the world. Much cheaper than Metros and LRT, and can even be incorporated with a future Metro, as is being done in Riyadh.

 

How is this different from a regular bus system... which has been tried.

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/citylife-articles/mess-transit-why-chiang-mai-doesnt-have-public-transportation/

 

Subways and monorails are essentially "third-rail" systems and cost more - significantly more I think - than "trolley" systems with overhead power cables. The issue is that existing electrical rat's nests will need to be re-arranged somehow. And don't worry, old buildings will get bulldozed, it happens to the best cities, don't get all sentimental about it.

[ChrisY1]

Just get a workable public bus system working......tramways through the streets will simply cause too many accidents

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, hansnl said:

Well, a monorail system is hugely expensive to build and maintain, while both monorail and skytrain are enormously ugly.

While a kind of lightrail, be it tram or real lightrail, isn't so disturbingly ugly, the cost for building and additional traffic measures are very high, not even mentioning the noise pollution due to railbound traffic.

Why is nobody mentioning a trolleybus system with, if possible, dedicated traffic lanes.

The overhead lines can be very light nowadays, the electric buses are rather silent and can be built in Thailand, while the power on the overhead wires can be switchable, if power needed switched on, if not needed switched off.

 

 

Why is nobody mentioning a trolleybus system

If you don't know why, you haven't been in Thailand long enough.

 

There is no way C M can build an above ground system with the amount of traffic on the narrow roads. The disruption would be astronomical.

They could however build an elevated system from, say, Mae Rim that would go underground below C M city and continue above ground to, say, Lamphun.

Underground from the airport and then overground from city limit Eastward.

 

However, all that expense could be avoided by requiring songtheaws to run fixed routes through the city, like Pattaya does. The present system benefits no one.

I'd also like to see all private cars banned inside the moat. Electric tuktuks inside.

 

PS. The picture in the Op has me rolling on the floor laughing.

Edited August 4, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[Ruffian Dick]

Subway construction can use two different methods: "cut and cover" and "deep bore."

• The "cut and cover" method is cheaper,  and would probably be the method used in Mai, but it creates a lot of disruption, as much (temporarily) as building surface tracks.
• I don't see Chiang Mai going into the "deep bore" method unless they got a huge amount o' money and used a foreign contractor.

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Ruffian Dick

[Ruffian Dick]

Translation offered thru SkyscraperCity:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1978882
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=101602

Quote

 

the issue of Chiang Mai LRT networks to be decided during the last public hearing on 4 August 2017

First version with underground section within city wall - preferred by those Chiang Mai citizens - 35 km at 106,895 Million Baht including
1. red line 11.87 km
2. green line 11.92 km and
3. blue line 11.11 km

Second version all at grade - preferred by OTP due to cheaper price tag - 40.57 km at at 28,419 Million Baht including
1. red line 15.65 km
2. green line 11.11 km and
3. blue line 13.81 km

the construction started from 2018 to 2020 and opened in 2021

1. Red line - Chiang Mai Government Complex - Chiang Mai International Airport - Mae Hia

started from Mae Hia Samaggi intersection (Big C Hang Dong intersection) - Chiang Mai International Airport - Central Airport - Chiang Mai University (Suan Dok campus) - Maharat Hospital of Chiang Mai - Wattanothai Phayap school - Chang Phueak bus terminal Rajabhat University of Chiang Mai - 700 Year Chiang Mai stadium - Chiang Mai International Convention Center - Nakhon Ping hospital

2. Blue line Chiang Mai Zoo - Tha Pae gate - Don Jan
started from Chiang Mai Zoo - Rajamangla Lanna University of Technology - Chiang Mai University (Suan Dok campus) - Nimmarnhemin road - Wat Phra Sing - Statue of 3 kings - Yuppharaj collage - Tha Pae gate - Nigh Bazaar - Anusarn market - San Pa Khoi market - Chiang Mai railway station - Big C Don Jan - Promenade

3. Green line - Mae Jo - Kad Luang (Warorot market) - Chiang Mai International Airport
started from Chiang Mai International Airport - Far East University - Central Airport - Nong Hoy market - Montfort Collage Regina Celi collage - Anusarn market - Night Bazaar - Kad Luang (Warorot market) - Prince Royal Collage - Dara Wittaya collage - McCormic hospital - Archade bus terminal - Central Festical - Mae Jo intersection - Ruam Choke intersection

3 Forms of investment - 100% Government, PPP with private sector, and fund raising through mutual funds along with loan.

 

https://www.dailynews.co.th/economic/589315

Edited August 8, 2017 by Ruffian Dick

[Ruffian Dick]

The Powers That Be have finally decided that they will place boats in the moat for tourist transportation.