Bangkok-Pattaya high speed rail link gets "green light"

[Gaybutton]

It’s Official…the high speed rail from Bangkok to Pattaya signed into agreement today, set to be finished by 2023

By Adam Judd

October 24, 2019

Reuters – Thailand’s plans for a new $7.4 billion high-speed rail link from Bangkok to the tourist town of Pattaya got the go ahead on Thursday after months of negotiations that spilled over into public acrimony. This is one of the flagship projects of the new Eastern Economic Corridor plan to expand business and tourism in the area.

The Thai government said it had signed an agreement on Thursday to begin construction with a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and including China Railway Construction Corporation (1186.HK) (601186.SS).

Some Japanese banks have also agreed to provide part of the financing for the link, which will span 220 kilometres and is scheduled to start operating in 2023.

https://thepattayanews.com/2019/10/24/i ... d-by-2023/

[Undaunted]

Project gets government approval:

https://www.pattayaone.news/thailand-gi ... d-pattaya/

[christianpfc]

I have read that headline every year since I started reading the forums in 2009.

[thewayhelooks]

I'm waiting for the second coming of Christ which should be here any minute.

[Gaybutton]

One question I have, and so far I haven't spotted the answer, is just how high speed is high speed? How much time will the trip take from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya? Or Pattaya to Bang Sue? If anyone has seen anything about that, please let us know.

Of course, nothing just yet about the fares.

And since Pattaya is planning to build that monorail, wouldn't it be nice if the powers-that-be have sense enough to place the stops so that you can just exit one and right there enter the other? Three guesses about the chances of that happening.
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Transport Ministry to expropriate more land for high-speed rail

Jun 11, 2020



More land needs to be expropriated for the construction of a high-speed railway linking Bangkok’s two airports with U-Tapao airport in the East coast.

The Transport Ministry, however, has assured the bid-winning consortium led by Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group that the necessary land will be handed over by January or February next year as planned.

Chaiwat Thongkamkoon, Transport Ministry’s permanent secretary, said overall the high-speed rail project has been proceeding as planned after the Bt224-billion contract was signed in October last year.

The ministry has been urging the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the Department of Highways and the Department of Rural Roads to speed up the removal of public utility structures to make way for the railway, Chaiwat said after chairing a meeting to discuss the process of land handover.

According to the latest land survey, the SRT needs to expropriate 885 rai (141.6 hectares) instead of the previously estimated 857 rai. Under this new estimation, 360 buildings will have to be removed instead of 334 initially targeted, though the clearing of trees remains at 517 parcels of land.

Apart from having to deal with illegal squatters, SRT also needs to tear down 197 of the 782 buildings on its land between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports. Between Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports, there are 570 buildings or homes located on SRT land and 301 need to be torn down.

He added that most of these buildings belong to members of nearby communities, so SRT needs to find land for their relocation.

The contract for the 220km high-speed rail requires that SRT handover the land for the Lat Krabang to U-Tapao section within one year and three months after the signing of the contract and land for the Don Mueang to Phya Thai section within two years and three months.

SRT will also hand CP the right to run the Airport Rail Link from October 2021. The future of staff at the Airport Rail Link will depend on the agreement SRT and CP make, Chaiwat said.

Meanwhile, an informed source at the SRT conceded that the clearance of electricity poles and tap water facilities to make way for the construction sites is behind the schedule by a month or two, largely due to the impact of Covid-19. The Transport Ministry has earmarked Bt335 million for the clearing of utilities.

Separately, SRT has filed lawsuits against illegal occupants of its land, while CP has started surveying the construction sites, officials said.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business ... l_referral

[gerefan]

First train in 3 1/2 years then? We will see!

[Gaybutton]

First train in 3 1/2 years then?

Wouldn't that be nice? And who knows - maybe the Covid-19 restrictions have a chance to be history by then . . .

[Up2u]

Most on this board will not see the completion of this project.

[Gaybutton]

Most on this board will not see the completion of this project.

Don't start writing our obituaries just yet, although I'll be pleasantly surprised if we ever see the beginning of this project . . .

[tree]

This article says "The trains will operate at maximum speeds of 250 kpmh" (155 mph)
https://www.urbantransportnews.com/thai ... -airports/

This article has a heading "Bangkok to Pattaya in 45 minutes", that would be actually nice if true.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ ... index.html

Wikipedia says, the original proposal in 2010 was "Five lines capable of handling 250 km/h speeds would radiate from Bangkok."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-spee ... n_Thailand
There is also a route table saying "250 rural; 160 urban" (kmph) for the 3-airports-link.