Thailand's high-speed train project underway

Local Hua Hin and regional Thailand news articles and discussion.
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uncle tom
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by uncle tom »

Reading through this thread, I notice one problem with the broad plan for this that hasn't been mentioned yet.

- High speed rail demands very gentle gradients.

Anyone who has dined at Kim's and watched the loco's bellowing away, can attest to the fact that the existing line is far from level.

Add to that the previously mentioned issues with crossing points, it would seem impractical to contemplate building this at ground level (in HH at least)

An elevated construction, allowing road traffic to pass underneath, seems logical, until that is, you try to square that with the need to pass beneath the airport runway - which appears to be much closer to sea level than the existing station at HH.

This presents the solution of putting the new line in a cutting - or even a tunnel - as it passes through HH (I am assuming that HH will only be temporary terminus for the project)

From my limited knowledge of the geology of HH, this could be a challenging prospect..
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by Nereus »

As Terry has posted on this thread previously, there is not a high speed train built anywhere in the world at ground level. Getting past the airport will be only a small glitch, compared with getting the funds past the puy yai!

And I would venture to say that if you are over 50 years of age you will be long gone before this pie in the sky gets anywhere near Hua Hin. :cheers:
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

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^ I fully agree. In addition there hasn't been anything here that scares me as much as this project. Not the construction, but the use and maintenance. A zebra can't change its stripes and this country simply doesn't have the track record nor the intelligence to pull this one off properly IMO. Pete :cheers:
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by hhfarang »

...doesn't have the track record...
Nice play on words, Pete! :cheers:
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by oakdale160 »

I do not believe that the Chinese system is elevated throughout its length. On the other hand I don't remember seeing any level crossings.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by Dannie Boy »

The high speed rail from St Pancras to the Channel (HS1) isn't raised - a lot if it goes through tunnels and cuttings but it does also go across open land but there are no level crossings.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

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The high speed rail from St Pancras to the Channel (HS1) isn't raised
Bits of it are. There's an impressive bit of viaduct that takes it over the approaches to the Dartford tunnel and under the QEII bridge. This was cast in sections and then pushed into place with massive hydraulic rams, with the result that there was no disruption to the road traffic during construction.

I expect a similar method will be used if they go ahead with building a new runway at Heathrow over the M25.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

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High-speed railway routes changed

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/new ... es-changed

"........Mr Chaiwat said six dual-track rail routes with a total construction budget of 117 billion baht would be implemented first.

They are the Jira junction in Nakhon Ratchasima-Khon Kaen (185 km); Prachuap Khiri Khan-Chumphon (167 km); Map Kabao in Saraburi-Nakhon Ratchasima (132 km); Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin (165 km); Lop Buri-Pak Nam Pho in Nakhon Sawan (148 km); and Hua Hin-Muang districts in Prachuap Khiri Khan (90 km)....."
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by oakdale160 »

the Japanese are making moves to try to get the contract.
Excuse me, didnt they attempt to build a railway in Thai back in 41-45
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by musungu »

oakdale160 wrote:the Japanese are making moves to try to get the contract.
Excuse me, didnt they attempt to build a railway in Thai back in 41-45

This is a strange topic subject when we are approaching 2015 and no contract has been awarded?
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by Dannie Boy »

musungu wrote:
oakdale160 wrote:the Japanese are making moves to try to get the contract.
Excuse me, didnt they attempt to build a railway in Thai back in 41-45

This is a strange topic subject when we are approaching 2015 and no contract has been awarded?
In 2012 when the first post was made it was a perfectly legitimate topic heading, I'm sure you realise that here more than many places, accurate time forecasting is rarely a reality.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by Nereus »

In 2012 when the first post was made it was a perfectly legitimate topic heading, I'm sure you realise that here more than many places, accurate time forecasting is rarely a reality.
A bit like their budget forecasting. How can they predict the costs when the whole project is not signed, and is estimated to run into 2020 something? :roll:
Last edited by Nereus on Thu Oct 23, 2014 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by Terry »

HST - elevated or not? - Does Thailand need it?

It's a cultural thing - together with the topography.

In Europe, where most folk grew up with the idea that playing on railways meant death or accidents, there has always been a healthy regard for safety on, in and around them. Not so here, where people regularly cross and even live on the tracks.

Thailand has an antiquated, prehistoric, grossly underfunded national rail system administered by an organisation of much the same stature. The Thai regard for safety and maintenance is almost zero.

Look at what has become of Thailand's first State owned elevated electrified railway - the ARL in Bangkok.
Two trainsets permanently in the depot being canibalised for spares because nobody managed to get a sensible spares and maintenance regime in place - due to political and other considerations..............The remaining rolling stock is also creaking at the seams........

Look at the high quality fencing to the North and South of the Level Crossing on Soi 94. Most of it is now useless, some of it used to fence off the strip of agriculture between the railway and the fence!

Therefore the only sensible answer is to elevate (Tunnel where necessary with high security transitions) the whole thing and use 'slab track', which requires minimal maintenance. Yes - that's expensive, but for the whole life cost of the railway it is cost effective and safe.

As for the topography - tunneling, elevating etc etc - anything is possible given the money.

Taiwan did it right 15 years ago - 350km of elevated HST now running at 300kph and it's the pride of the nation - rightly so (I worked on it :wink: )

The reality for me is that as a 65 yr old consulting engineer in the rail business (In systems engineering for 21 years and Railway systems for a further 28 years), my opinion is, this country only needs a decent twin track, electrified 150kph railway to get great value for money - i.e. say 35% of the cost of a true 250kph railway.

Maybe the latest thinking is moving in the right direction - for this month at least.

But then I'm only a dozey old pharang and I'm not likely to see anything like it in Hua Hin in my lifetime.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by oakdale160 »

I see that the S/p and malaysian govt are committed to a SP to KL (not to butterworth) HS link. If that happens and the line from china to Vientiane materializes it leaves Thai looking like the ugly sister.
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Re: High-speed train bids to start in 2013

Post by dozer »

Thailand Approves Kunming-Singapore Rail Line

This story appears in the November 3, 2014 issue of Forbes Asia.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesasia/ ... rail-line/
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