The ambitious plans for high-speed lines in Thailand
In the coming months, the first plans will be concretely implemented and the first high-speed line between Bangkok and Korat will be built. This does not mean that no further action will be taken in the meantime. Bangkok will have to be connected to Rayong with the “spearhead” Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) by means of a HSL.
Both the government and the SRT (state railways) are working hard to get this 193-kilometer stretch started as soon as possible. It is no less seen as a prestige project of the Prayut Chan-o-chan government to turn the east coast into a “booming business project” where infrastructure is a basic condition.
This high-speed line will then cover an area in the provinces of Chonburi, Chachoengsao, Samut Prakan and Rayong. The airports Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao and the ports of Map ta Phut, Laem Chabang and Chuk Samet as well as the tourist metropolises of Pattaya are connected to Bangkok. This requires a connection for both industry and tourists.
To meet the concerns of the population regarding the fare, the SRT is considering operating several trains with adapted tickets. A so-called City Line would visit the various cities at a speed of 160 kilometers. A total of 10 stations are included, including Pattaya.
The Japanese side is very interested in the EEC project and many want to invest in this area. An amount of 215 billion baht has been budgeted for the HSL project, which is jointly borne by a Thai-Japanese developer.
It is hoped to have everything “on track” in the year 2023!
160 km per hour is not a HSL.
And whether the trains will become the trains of the picture, I still find it very questionable.
Good reading remains very difficult. To meet the concerns of the population about the fare, the SRT is considering using DIFFERENT trains. The City line with 160 km is therefore the cheaper version and HSL trains will therefore also come with more expensive tickets.
The HSL runs on a different mains voltage than a normal train.
The existing track in the Netherlands uses 1.500 volts and the HSL should receive 25.000 volts.
So you can't just let those trains run on the same track.
And if they were to be diesel trains, they would certainly not be HSL trains.
If I read correctly, that 160 km/h is maintained by the 'City Line', say the cheaper local train.
The railway itself is being built for speeds of up to 250 km/h.
I believe that is 50% cheaper than a line that is suitable for speeds of up to 350 km/h and that price difference does not outweigh the time difference.
The target dates will not be met (actually this train should have been running in 2018), but that is not a typical Thai phenomenon. In the Netherlands it took about 40 years from the first plan to the moment that no train was running.
If you are used to driving 40 km/h (Bangkok – Chang Mai), 160 km/h is indeed an HSL.
With a route length of 193 km and 10 stations, then indeed 160 km is the maximum speed
due to the number of stations, this “line” is already degraded in advance to a slow train
There will therefore be different train types on the route, viz
* freight trains
* “cheap ticket” trains (how cheap then?) and
* in between also real "HSL" trains.
And that will all go smoothly?
It is in the "submersible" category. Little meaningful. But is it good for the pension accrual of certain people? In my view, the TBH 215 billion could be better spent on improving/expanding the current railway.
I find the category “submarine” very pessimistic.
And yes: we also know different types of train transport on the same route here.
All in all, these plans seem good for the economy, people and the environment (compared to all that road and air traffic).
Whether that train is better than road traffic is, of course, the question.
A train runs from A to B and that is of little use if you have to be in C.
Roads are generally between A and B and C.
If you have to be in C, you always need road transport.
I get your point. That is why we also need different means that connect to each other (goods are often referred to as “multimodal transport”).
Example: I want to go from Bangkok to Chiang Rai. This can be done by train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and from there by bus to Chiang Rai.
Since the current BKK-CNX train takes 14 hours, faster trains are desirable.
Not only for me as a tourist (it would be nice if I could catch a high-speed train to Chiang Mai after the AMS-BKK plane, which takes 3 to 4 hours, so that I no longer need an airplane for that part), but especially for the Thai.
Think, for example, of the working Thai who take an 11-hour bus ride to visit their families.
Wouldn't it be nice if that could soon become 4 hours by train + 1 hour by bus for those people?
I have nothing against faster trains, but they only serve part of the transport.
And the main point is that I still think that the promise of high speed and those beautiful trains in those pictures will not be delivered.
In my opinion, they will simply be trains that are faster than the current rolling stock.
That in itself is fine, but tell it like that.
Your new train travels at 160 mph instead of the 80 of your old train.
Then all people will be happy, with the travel time halved.
If the trains are indeed going to be electric, I hope that measures will be taken for power outages.
If the regularity in which the power goes out during thunderstorms here in the village is an indication of the power outage on the railway, the traveler can have fun.
And those overhead lines hang a good deal above the area, so they are easy to find for lightning.