High Speed Train Project

[Taa_Saparot]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-railways-idUSKCN1SJ0PE

Thailand's richest man, 12 others to build $6.8 billion high-speed rail

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) and 12 other companies were selected to build a $6.8 billion high-speed train project that will link three major airports in the country, the government said on Monday.

The committee, chaired by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, chose a joint investor for the public-private partnership that required the lowest amount of investment from the government, the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy (EEC) office said in a statement.

The government’s decision came in following months of negotiations after CP and 12 other companies jointly submitted a bid for the $6.8 billion project last year.

The rail link will connect Thailand’s main international airport Suvarnabhumi to low-cost carrier airport Don Muang and U-Tapao airport in eastern Thailand.

The proposal will be sent for cabinet approval on May 28, EEC Secretary-General Kanit Sangsubhan told reporters.

The high-speed train project is slated to be completed in five years, and will be operational for 45 years under the partnership, according to the EEC portal.

The EEC project, worth $45 billion, is the centerpiece of the government’s policy to boost investments in hi-tech industrials, as it transitions from those reliant on cheap labor.

The goal is to make the east a center for hi-tech industries such as robotics and electric vehicles as well as a regional hub for aircraft maintenance.

The EEC managed to draw 297 billion baht ($9.3 billion) in promised investment in 2017.

CP is headed by Thailand’s richest man, Dhanin Chearavanont, who has a net worth of $16.5 billion, according to Forbes latest estimates.

CP, not known for its expertise in rail engineering, had previously said its consortium and strategic partners include China’s CITIC Group Corp, China Railway Construction, South Korea’s Hyundai, Germany’s Siemens, Italian-Thai Development Pcl and Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Dhanin’s businesses include pork and poultry farms in CP Foods Pcl and convenience stores in CPALL Pcl. Other interests span from a stake in Ping An Insurance Group, telecommunications, real estate and partnerships with Chinese auto-maker SIAC Motor Corp and Japan’s Itochu Corp.

 

 

[Queef_Sniffer]

When are they hiring?  I’ll setup and manage their entire IT infrastructure and run it remotely from a laptop on Soi 6. 

[Geordie59]

Another one only to believed when construction starts. Given that we seem to be heading back to the days of unstable politics starting construction won't mean it will ever be completed either.
I wonder how fast they consider High Speed to be?

[keepitfun]

It will start the same time the Melbourne Sydney one does.

[The Serpent]

Or the same time as Melbourne Airport to Melbourne central 

[Bonkabit]

7 minutes ago, The Serpent said:

Or the same time as Melbourne Airport to Melbourne central 

Melbourne airport at Tullamarine opened about 50 years ago, in 1969 or a year or two later. (Previously the airport was Essendon which was too small and could not take new bigger aircraft. In ways similar to the Don Muang/Suvarnabhumi situation).

Still no rail line from the city to the airport despite a suburban rail line running just a few km away (Broadmeadows). Why not just build an extension into Tullamarine airport?

It is pathetic.

[The Serpent]

@bonkabit

Quote

It is pathetic.

+1

My point was that rail link in post 1 was likely to finished before the MEL airport link 

Heard the latest one about that outer rail link, starting at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash Uni, Glen Waverley etc

THAT will be built before a rail link to MEL airport...

[SpaceFarang]

On 14/05/2019 at 08:21, Geordie59 said:

I wonder how fast they consider High Speed to be?

It would appear it's going to be 160km / 100 miles per hour in urban areas and 250km / 155 miles per hour intercity.

https://www.eeco.or.th/en/project/infrastructure-development/high-speed-train

Anybody know if it got the go ahead?

[Taa_Saparot]

1 hour ago, zebedoodle said:

Anybody know if it got the go ahead?

It was in the Thai News last week, but I never noticed that any decision was made, and I was not picked up by the English language media.

[semi-retired member]

Don't hold your breath, this project is IMO like the high-speed Chinese-line to Bangkok & Laem-Chabang/Sattahip, lots of talk & hot air but little progress.

Anybody seriously considering it should first try running a slower DMK-BKK/Pattaya/Rayong train hourly, using the existing lines, to discover whether there is any real demand/profit in the idea, before investing many billions in building new-lines. 

Perhaps it's more the idea of the property-development profits to-be-made, along the rights-of-way, in the same way that an airport is really a retail-park, with Runway attached ? The Chinese certainly thought so !

But Hey, I can be wrong, even the Channel Tunnel makes money these days, although not for the original shareholders & not with the long-distance passenger/freight feeder-trains which were originally mooted.

[Explorer8939]

I believe I read this same story 2 years ago.

[Taa_Saparot]

Talks yesterday about the ongoing study to see what public transport system Pattaya could build to tie in with the High Speed Train.

Looks like it will be a Tram sort of system on existing roads, as they are against a Skytrain because it would be too ugly!!