Airport Rail Link: scheduled free rides, Aug opening
 

<This is an imported thread from the previous 2B forum discussing the Notes on the airport high-speed train>

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Wisarut 11
08-01-2003 07:41 AM ET (US)

JJJ, Tuan Ijud,

Well, Better sell the rail maintainanace section of SRT
to Italian Thai Deveopment (with foreign Partners), tourist and Railway Hotels sectin to Central Patthan (and Sofitel who is a partner of Central Patthana), and Service to Siemens or Bombadier .... or Mitsui if Mitsui could pick the strong partner (like Kawasaki or Hitachi - Hitachi has supplied several new Deisel Locomotives to SRT via Mitsui though). Mitsui is just a Japanese trading company, not the real big gun like Siemens, Bombadier or Alstom (the one which supplies Diesel Locomotives to SRT several years ago).

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JJJ 10
08-01-2003 05:31 AM ET (US)

Couldn't agree more with Ijud.

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Ijud 9
07-31-2003 10:31 PM ET (US)

Well I think the best way to improve the quality of the railway services and also to accelerate those projects is by privatising it. By doing so, the government will also have less burden on its shoulders to mantain and manage the company.

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Ben in SF 8
07-31-2003 05:57 PM ET (US)

I am pretty impressed that Thai government finally came up with the idea of having high speed trains to BKK new airport and to other regions of the country. I hope this is not just a topic or a plan in a paper for the government to discuss but not really make it reality.

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Leng 7
07-31-2003 12:18 PM ET (US)

I am pretty sure that more projects will be completed. but i am just concerned about the quality. I hope that the govt. will prepare more budget for maintenance. I really want Bangkok to become a more modern city.

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Wisarut 6
07-30-2003 11:54 PM ET (US)

Tuan Ijud,

Well, the government should borrow from their own people since there are 800 Billion Baht of saving deposits
in the local commercial banks to impelment such projects. The governemnt need to tap from those sources first!

However, the have to reserve some of those savings to pay the 3 Trillion Baht of Public Debts. So long we honor to pay debts without defaulting, we don't have worry about those Trillions Baht debts.

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Ijud 5
07-30-2003 09:40 AM ET (US)

I'm sure that this Airport Express Train and other infrastructure projects in Thailand especially in Bangkok will become a reality with Premier Thaksin leading your country! He is such a visionary person and we can see a lot of projects are developing well such as the new Bangkok airport, the subway and skytrain extensions. They just need to look for more foreign investors to pump in some more cash to fund the projects.

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JJJ 4
07-30-2003 05:28 AM ET (US)

Even though I feel the same as #2 do, but I do hope secretly that these projects will be completed.

Keep our fingers crossed!

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Wisarut 3
07-30-2003 03:30 AM ET (US)

Khun Leng, Khun A frustrated Farang!,

Well, The government has cut down the budget for Airport Link from 32 Billion Baht to 26 billion Baht. The
Airport Express section is running from Makkasan to NBIA while the COmmuter section will run from Phyathai to NBIA.

However, if the passengers want to use Airport Expresss section, they must commute into the Coummuter section
to Makkasan first and the board into the Airport Express section, pretty annoying process though ... unless the Airport Express and commuter ticket also carry the ticket for BTSC and MRTA lines to facilitate the trips.

Therefore, The government needs to ask Traffic Office and MRTA to modify the future Orange line to function as a feeder to Makkasan before going to Victory Monument.

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A frustrated Farang! 2
07-29-2003 11:15 PM ET (US)

I, like the majority of the Thai people, hope government will take this seriously BUT I believe this is just another dream project by the government... they bring it to surface and sleep on it for years till too late.

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Leng 1
07-29-2003 09:31 PM ET (US)

Great idea! Hope the govt. will approve this project. This will sure help Bangkok to become an aviation hub.

Airport Link
 

The design for the airport link as reported on today's front page seems quite good! I like:

• Express service for business travellers (which is still cheaper than taxis)
• Commuter service for people with more money than time and/or going to destinations along the way; 30 min interval is a little too long though
• Interchange to subway at Makkasan (but is this planned, or just K. Wisarut's wish?)
• Interchange to Skytrain at Phyathai (only for commuter service though...)
• 160 km/h means that Siemes DESIRO is a strong possibility (see KLIA Ekspres)

Don't like: bidding finishes Oct 2004 and completion complete in 2006!? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Commuter Service interval should be 15-20 min while the express service should be 10 minute -> all used 4-car formation ... even thoug ONLY the express version will have baggage facilities inside the trains.

Well, I thought that they decide to eliminate Asok station from the list of 8 stations since the new makkasan station will be big and long enough to reach Asok stop. IF they don't do that, MRTA subway will be deprived from the interchange with Makkasan. Even thee orange line is NOT designed to reach Makkasan ->
it's heading to Victory Monument and Dusit Zoo instead.

It seem to me that the access to Thub Chang Railway Station is very indequate though ... Unless you are one of thsoe local people who know how to go to that station instead of goign to Hua Mark which are much more convenince to go ....

Is there anyone to tell me that the express train will operate on which gauge, standard or 1-metred ?

I hope that it should operate on standard gauge.

However, I think that 160 km/hour is ok for the express train because of its short distance between Makkasan and the airport.

Khun Viviparuz,

Yeah, iut is suypposed to be Standard Gauge since it will eventually Expanded to the New City at Banna as well as Nakhon Ratchasima. After expansion to Khorat, the new EMU which have the maximum speed of 300 kph.

Well, 160 kph maximum have already RULED OUT mewter gauge sine the meter guage has inherent limitation to 120 kph = even using the 60 kg/m welded rails.

Furthermore, Prachachat Thurakij correspondent got the messages from SRT that :

Ther will be 15 sets of 5-car EMUs for Airport Link

1) Express version - 6 set - 1-way ticket will cost the passenger 100 Baht
2) Commuter version - 9 sets = 1-way ticket wil cost the passenger from 10-40 Baht

Both are externally identical but the interior is very different since Airport Express must have the luggage facility and soft leaning seats while the commter version will be hard seat as Skytrian-Subway and the standing to pack more pasengers. They have learnt from KLIA Express to pick more commuter passengers than the airport passengers.

Excuse my stupidity, but I recall that this Link was to be dual track (i.e. one each way) - will there, therefore, be passing loops for the Express trains to pass the Commuter trains?

The Enforcer!

All you need is a set of extra tracks at one or more station halfway through -- this is how the KLIA Ekspres/Transit manage. Transits will stop at Cyber/Putrajaya and wait for an Ekspres to zoom past before continuing.

Sounded good until I recalled the story of 'Casey Jones'!

The Enforcer!

New Airlink
 

I see from 2Bangkok yesyterday we have a revised Airlink (Don Muang to Suvannabhumi) - did I read correct that it will be a different guage to the Red Line - if so does that mean seperate tracks or integrated tracks?

Also, how does this pan with the original Rapid Airlink (Makkasan to Suvannabhumi) adjoined by a Commuter service?

The Enforcer!

According to today's news, SRT has forecasted the Airport Link's cost at precisely 25.917060209 billion baht. What I want to know is, what's the 9 baht on top of the 25,917,060,200? :D

The 9 Baht is the real cost, the 25,917,060,200 is the inflationary measure!!

The Enforcer!

Airport Link marker stone?
 

does this sound right???

my friend at the thai labor museum asked and said this pic: http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok/srt/stone.jpg is of a marker stone for the airport link--

"Thankd to Mr. Wichai Narapaiboon who works as an officer of Thai Labour Museum got answer from the 3-4 officers at the Makkasan railway station.
"The picture that Mr.Nils wonder is ..A peg...that indicate the line for contraction of high speed railway station to Suwannapoom airport.
SRT = State Raiway Station of Thailand
"And no. is the no. of the peg."

could this be true??????

best
ron

Nils responded: hmmm..... doesn't sound very convincing....

By the way, I was wrong, the 'number' is actually a date, it seems: 28-2-47 (28 February 2004). Then again, if the stone is THAT new, it COULD possibly have to do with the Airport Link Project.

20% to Ai Suriya, and 10% to the Party coffer

Just asking is Ai Suriya a billionaire like Premier Thaksin?? Does he have any construction or telecom companies?? So who won the airport link bid lah?? Hope it will have a quick start!!

Ai Suriya has Summit Auto Part as his own business become becoming minister of MOTC.

Now, Ai Suriya is goign turn MOTC into Ministry of Constructiuon and Trransportation ... Just thiunk merging the cabinate position of Samy and Ling into the same position ....

WOW!!! His portfolio will be widened! Sure he will make a lot of it?! :D

Today, the bidding result of the airport was annouced. But the news about it provided me with very slim detail. Are there anyone who can tell more?

I want to know exactly that the airport link will operate on standard gauge or metre gauge. According to the information I have, I'm quite glad that STECON won the contract because it suppose to use standard gauge for the system.

Are there any pictures of the rolling stocks that siemens will provide to the system? I hope they might not resemble the KLIA express.

Khun Viviparuz,

STECON + Siemens -> Standard Gauge [using Desiro type - KLIA Express]
ITD + CITIC + CAF -> Standard gauge [using the same type as Heathrow + Chen Lap Kok Airport Express]
CK + Mitsubishi heavy Industry + Mitsui + Kinki Sharyo -> [Using Meter Gauge - modified version of narita Express]

Corrupted Train?
 

A few weeks after my reply about betting on which LRT supplier will win the next BKK mass transit, it seems to be realistic (at least for now)

SRT is about to announce such supplier to win the new airport link contract. It may be a coincident, or may be the spec was rigged (locked)?

Good thing for people like us about this predictable phenomenal. You know which stocks you should buy for the next tender.

Can I ask what is wrong with the KLIA Ekspres trains? They seems pretty good to me...

Don't get me wrong. I have no problem KLIA Express and I also admit that it is a beautiful one. I know that siemens is going to adapt Deisiro with the NBIA airport link. My point is that I just want NBIA express to be unique. I think that siemens should at least come up with new body of rolling stocks despite using the same system.

Airport Link to Pattaya
 

Here's today's random idea -- have there been any plans to extend the Airport Link to Pattaya? As anybody who has been to Ekamai will know, the Bangkok-Pattaya bus line is probably the busiest in the country (?), and the current train service (2 trains a week!) is beyond pathetic. At 160 km/h and with dedicated right of way the journey time from Bangkok could be cut down to a little over an hour, and with no traffic jams either.

As SRT will be operating the Airport Link and already has a (single-track?) line to Pattaya, the bulk of the right of way issues (which would otherwise be horribly complex) are already solved. So all that's left is ripping out the old meter gauge, putting in dual-track standard gauge and fixing up the level crossings. Compared to something like a high-speed train to Korat this sounds positively trivial...

One thing to be sure, Trichelon color (red - white - blue) will be adopted .... with the the MODERNIZED seal of SRT if necessary ...

Nope, not at the time being. At base, it will be extended to Chachoengsao as "Commuter line" .. unless Public Demoands have OUTWEIGHTED the vested interest who run BKk - Pattaya bus service.

SRT is SUPPOSED to run frequent daily commuter services to Pataya but the Frequent cargo train to Laem Chabang have limited SRT's ability to run passenger services to Pattaya .. ONLY 1 weekday train to Ploo Taluang. This should be more than that ... At least, the cabinater shoudl APPROVE the doubel trackign form Chachoengsao to Laem Chabang to solve the congest cargo trains. Doubnel trakign from Chachongdsao to Kaengkhoi via Klogn Sip Kao also enabel SRT to run commter service to Kaeng Khoi via Chachongsao.

Re: Airport Link to Pattaya
 

You have answered your own question!

It is because BKK-PAT is "probably the busiest in the country" that no rail-link will be built! With so many political vested interests in running the coach services, why would they build competition by opening a railway?

One has to remember bus and coach services are run for the benefit of operators/BMTA and not passengers - that is too much a Western idea!

The Enforcer!

Re: Re: Airport Link to Pattaya
 

I'm sure the bus operators would hate the idea, but surely SRT has its own vested interests who would be drooling at the chance to get a license to print money and expand their influence? And I would imagine that the big noodles in Pattaya would be in favor of this too...

I think you'll find that "the big noodles in Pattaya" own the bus companies!

The Enforcer!

it certainly is not Thailands busiest busroute, that must be the BKK-KHorat route, with up to twicer as much buses as BKK-PTY, plus another big load of tourbuses doing the same,but going further into isan.

Perhaps that explans the lack of plans for a rapid rail-link to Korat?

The Enforcer!

Contract awarded
 

So STECON + Siemens get the contract - when will they start digging?

The Enforcer!

About the next 4 Month after the contracts has been signed - April 2005 is the optimistic date though.


However, I feel WORRIED abotu Chitladd Royal Station sinced SRT has NO come up with the pan to handle whne the extensio nto Bangsue has become necessary .....

my uncle just told me that he is in one of the companies that is bidding to build the line. he may possibly be working on the airport link. :)

now reading early discussion above: did anyone realize that the frequency may just build up with time? like start ev 30 mins, then gauge what times are busy, go at THOSE times to ev 20 mins, and as traffic builds up (this is alwaysa case of monthes), etc.
actuall;y the current airportbus went the other way; started with ev 15 mins, which was way too much, the current 30-40 mins is in fact still way too much for taxi-aimed areas like Silom/Sukhumvit. Only the KhaoSarn route makes enough passengers.

But airport expreses have to run at short intervals to be competitive. If I'm in a hurry to get to a meeting, I'll take a taxi instead of waiting 30 min for the next train...

Express version (Makkasan - NBIA nonstop) will be
15 Minute headway while the Transit version
(Phyathai - Makkasan - NBIA) will be 28 minutes.

At some point the Express will catch up the Transit!! Where will they pass?

Also - are SRT trains using the same tracks or continue with their existing single track from Huamark townbound?

The Enforcer!

my uncle worked on the KLIA ekspres. there are separate tracks for the ekspres and transit trains at all stations. only along the way are there single tracks in each direction. in other words, the tracks spilt only at the stations. there is Automatic Train Protection to protect the distances between the trains. unfortunately, my uncle's company lost the tender so he will not be working on the project.

Anybody know the progress of APL , has the contract been signed or there are any technical difficuties to get it done.

Becuase to day is the last working day of the cabinet but there is no agenda for the APL.

Does it mean we have to wait untill the new goverment is formed?

Now, SRT and the contractors have clearify the financial isue os the COntract Signign Ceremony will be STARTED in this afternoon (Jan 20, 2005)

I am totally with Jpatokal on this one.

I thought I remember reading something about a high-speed link to Pattaya in the local press one time when I was there about 16mths ago. Maybe it was just another off-the-cuff statement by a local pollie.

One would think that it would be financial given that (according to TAT a couple of yrs ago) about 25% of all tourists to thailand visit Pattaya. Apparently, a fair % just go to Pattaya and no where else in Thailand.

The line could run south under the airport (and future T2) and then go east along a road corridor until joining the Pattaya/Sattahip line. I understand that this line is to be duplicated in the next 2 yrs due to growing cargo trains to/from Laem Chabang (spelling?) port.