Re the article "Delhi-Hanoi Rail Route?"
(
http://www.mekong.es.usyd.edu.au/new...rt_email97.htm),
mentioned on 2bangkok on 12 September 2003:
It would be interesting to know what route this proposed railway line would take through Thailand - or would it even cross Thailand at all? - and how the actual chances for an implementation of the project are. (It seems to me that this is nothing more than one of many
ideas for the time being....... of course it would take
lots of international cooperation between the countries of South/ Southeast Asia to make it a reality.) The article is really blurry and has close to zero facts about the railway.
So here we go with some speculations: Of course the easiest option on Thai soil would NOT be to construct a new East-West line in the Upper or Lower Northern region, but to use the existing connection through BKK, plus to add the missing parts to connect to the Burmese and Lao borders. That is, a revival of the western section of the "Death Railway" between the Three Pagodas Pass (Thai:
Dan Chedi Sam Ong; Sangkhlaburi District, Kanchanaburi Province) and Nam Tok station, which was dismantled after WW II (about 150 km). And in the (North)East, closing the gap between Warin Chamrap (Ubon Ratchathani) and the Lao border at Chong Mek (about 70 km). Now that sounds quite easy!
But if you look at a map, you'll realize that we are way south with this route. From Kanchanaburi, the line would run in a northwestern direction to the Three Pagodas Pass and on to Thanbyuzayat and Moulmein (the route of the Japanese railroad during wartime, if I recall correctly). From there, the connecting line goes straight north, then west to Yangon and again north to Mandalay. Only after that are you anywhere 'near' the Indian border. And that's a substantial 900 km north of Bangkok!
In the East it would go to Pakxe in Southern Laos (with a magnificent new Mekhong bridge needed - the river is at least 1 km wide in that region!), then probably on to Vietnam's Quang Tri Province to connect with the North-South line (Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh). Still, you are more than 500 km south of Hanoi here.
A direct connection between Delhi (about 28.5 deg northern latitude) and Hanoi (about 21.0 deg N) wouldn't actually touch Thailand, whose northernmost town (Mae Sai, Chiang Rai Province) is located at only 20.5 deg N. So it would seem natural to build the line through the North of Myanmar and link to Kunming in South China, from where there already is a railway line to Hanoi via the Red River Valley. But that would mean to cross the southern chains of the Himalaya more or less at a 90 degree angle! Not sure if that would be possible at all. (Well, supposed you had unlimited funds and manpower, plus the most sophisticated technology in the world..... ) BTW, the distance between the two cities AS THE CROW FLIES is pretty exactly 3000 km! A really ambitious project.....
The same is true if we consider a more southerly route, e.g. through Chiang Mai, Louangphabang and Xam Neua - plenty of rough mountain landscapes in the way! Apart from that, would it make that much sense to build long stretches of your railway through sparsely populated areas like Northern Laos (that is, if you have other options)? After all, it's not just a matter of connecting Delhi and Hanoi, but also cities on the way.
No, maybe the most realistic approach would be the following route: Moulmein - Mae Sot - Tak - Phitsanulok - Khon Kaen - Mukdahan - Savannakhet (Laos) - Dong Ha (Vietnam) (same as the "Indochina Highway" proposal, BTW), or with an extension to Nakhon Phanom (there's also that SRT plan to build a branch from Bua Yai (Khorat) to Roi Et, Mukdahan and Nakhon Phanom, waiting to become reality one day....) an then on to Tha Kaek in Laos and Vinh in Vietnam.
Even this would still involve quite some difficulties for a railway, as far as the terrain is concerned. Especially when crossing the Phetchabun Range and climbing the edge of the Khorat Plateau (both in the area around Lom Sak, a district town and traffic junction in Phetchabun province); but also between Mae Sot and Tak, and I guess the construction of some nice new tunnels would be guaranteed!