Salang Plan

[ncr]

Khun Wisarut,

referring to your information about Gen Salang's mass transit plan on 2bangkok.com on 10 September (http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/MassTransit/mmnews01.shtml#23), would you care to explain this plan a little bit more?

Unfortunately, as in most cases, the corresponding "map" (or rather sketch: http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/MassTransit/SalangPlan.jpg) is of course crap from a professional point of view. In particular, what a great idea to use the same colour (red) for the delineations of all the different systems..... (So why design a coloured map in the first place?) And there is no explanation as to what the dashed lines signify. It doesn't make any sense at all. They can neither mean underground lines, nor future extensions, as is apparent if you look at the Phahonyothin section of the Skytrain.

What's more, the legend is in Thai language. Maybe you could give a translation for the non-Thai readers. As for myself, I can read it and understand most of it. But tell me, does the author really have a plan to reinstall a TRAMWAY system on Rattanakosin Island? That's what is said under "feeder". Do you have any more information on that?

Also interesting:

-should the Skytrain be extended to Bang Phli (but not the airport) instead of Samrong Tai, according to this plan?
-what does "ICE" (near the top) mean? High-speed train (to Khorat?), alluding to the German system of the same name?
-what is the difference between a "hub" and a normal interchange station?
-does this plan want to exclude any of the subway extensions???

[Wisarut]

Guten Tag Herrn Nils,

Well, I got the map from Manager Daily which are
suitable for those Bangkokians who are familar with the
routes Gen. Salang had mentioned, not for other people
yet since the color codes have not been officially assigned ...

Because Gen Salang though it is a cheaper deal to
go along the Railway Lines and dug up a shallow tunnel
for trailways to go underground (or underground LRT run
by BTSC-BMA in case the underground railways cost too
much run) and the LRT along expressway (Expressway Authority). Gen Salang still thought that Skytrain is
an LRT system despite of the fact that Skytrain roling stocks
are Heavy Rail Type from Siemens.

Gen Salang DID NOT Bother using the different color schemes to separate the lines which go along SRT railroads
and the LRT lines which go along expessway since he thought
that it's "Unnecessary".

Furthermore, Some of his ideas has been dated back
to the day Paknam Railway was still functioned .... and the
day when the ideas of the LRT- Expressway combination
WAS fashionable. However, the idea of LRT- Expressway combination had been proven that it's an utter failture since
such ideas have rendered concentration impossible - ETA cannot mke a concentration on many job simultaneously.

Even the ones with the assigned colors haven't
shown properly since the columnist THOUGHT the readers
had ALREADY known about the routes he mentioned. Even
the Subway line whcih should be in Blue has been colored in
Red - They thought that showing the blue sign on the map
is ENOUGH. Even the Skytrain section shown here is the
line proposed in 1991-92 ... not the actual line in 1999.
Even the LRT along Expressway has been dated back to the
day ETA stil handle both Expressway and the design of
MRT (before 1992).

Even though there are a legend to explain about map
-> Look at the file "ImageSlangPlan.jpg" I give you -> It's
ONLY in Thai. Now, I think I would translate those legend
for you.

SRT Railways to Suburbs and Elevated LRT along Expressway

1) SRT Railways to Suburbs
1.1) SRT1 -> Rangsit - Hua Lamphong - Wongwian Yai - 35.46 km [Northern-Southern Route]
1.2) SRT2 -> (Section1) NBIA - Yommaraj - Hua Lamphong - 41.12 km [Eastern - Western Route]
(Section2) Yommaraj - Sanam Luang - Bangkok Noy
1.3) SRT3 ->Kong Toei - Bangchak - Bang Na - 7.2 km [ Old Paknam Railway]
1.4) SRT4 -> Makkasan - Klong Toei - Maenam (Port Authority) - 6.2 km [Maenam Line]
1.5) SRT5 -> Bangsue - Rama VI - Talingchan - 13.00 km [Western Route]

2) LRT lines along Expressways
2.1) ETA1 - Section 1 - Rama IX - Bang Klow - Chaeng Watthana [2nd Stage Expressway] - 20 km
2.2) ETA1 - Section2 - Dao Khanong - Rama IX Bridge - Port Authority [1st Stage Expressway -
either underwater tunnel or the ferry] - 10.3 km
2.3) ETA2 - Ram Indra - At Narong - 18.7 km [3rd Stage Expressway]

3) Underground Section for SRT Railways to Suburb
3.1) U1 ->Hua Lamphong - Si Phraya - Wongwian Yai [Underground Section of SRT1]
3.2) U2 -> Yommaraj - Sanam Luang - Bangkok Noy [The whole undeground section of SRT2 Section2]
3.3) U3 -> Yommaraj - Hua Lamphong - Sanam Luang [Underground Section of SRT2 Section1] -
a substitute for Soutehrn Extension of Subway as well as the a partial substitute for the proposed Tramway along Rattnakosin Island ...

4) BTSC - No Extensions beyond the Original
5) MRTA - No extensions beyond the Original

Feeders:
1) Urbans - BMTA buses to feed from One station to Another station.

2) Suburbs - Railways Stations - Suburbs via BMTA buses and Vans

3) Rattanakosin Island - Tram Along the city Moat (proposed by BMA - need to
be modified especially the route from Pak Long Talad to Grand Palace)

4) Boats along Chao Phraya - > Chaophraya Expressboat and boats along the canals
MUST be modernized - in both piers and boats ... to be at par with Holland ....

5) Moving Walks - Moving Walks like the one at MBK would be fine ... but not so sure
with the one in Singapore LRT (a subsidary of Singapore LRT).

6) Jointed Ticket is necessary ...

I'd like to commmend that Gen Salang still has
very outdated ideas - HE didn't realized that how dense
the Ladphrao - Bangkapi - Ramkhamhaeng - and
Sri Nakharin area ACTUALLY are - still thinking that those
areas are small suburbs like Nong Chok -Minburi ... and
the LRT along Ram Indra - At Narong, Boats along Saen Saeb
canal and Lad Phrao canal as well as BMTA feeder buses would be adequate.

That's NONSENSE! Even though there are the
community around Sena Nikom- Lad Plakhao-Chokchai 4
which will use the line he mentioned here. What about those
in Kaset, Bang Kapi, Ram Kham haeng, Lad Phrao and Sri Nakharin?


For the case of Extension to Bang Plee via Thepharak
Road, it would be fine ... However, it would cause lots of grumbling for those who live beyond Samrong Nuea
(Samrong Tai, Paknam, Phra Padaeng) since they have
already fed up with those local buses as well as BMTA
Buses .... Therefore, the route to Samrong Tai must be done first ...


ICE - > Inter City Express - Yep I use the German ICE as
the way to describe the Highspeed Railway from
Bangkok (Bangsue) to Khorat.

Hub is extraordinary interchange - not aan ordinary
interchange since it also include intercity buses and Railway
at the same place.

Well, Gen Salang thought that Subway is TOO Expesive,
thus he suggest MRTA to scrap the subway extension routes
and concetrate on LRT along the Expressway since MRTA and
ETA were born from the same source.


Wisarut