The first high-speed train will be to pattaya in 2018 | Bangkok Post: news

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High-speed train to Pattaya in 5 years

The first high-speed train line to Pattaya is expected to begin by 2018 after the government opens a bid to build the service in September, a senior Transport Ministry official said on Monday.

Chula Sukmanob, director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, said the Pattaya line would take five years to complete for the one-hour route. It will be followed by trains to Nakhon Ratchasima, Phitsanulok and Hua Hin a year later.

The train will run at 250 kilometres per hour.

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Your comments

  • Discussion 34 : 16 Mar 2013 at 18.5634

    Is this designed to get the punters to the bars in Pattaya quicker,so they can blow their money faster.
    I think the whole Rail system needs to be looked at when it takes longer to go by train from Hua Hin to Bangkok than it does to drive.
    Just as a thought ,Is the health minister trying to kill of tourism altogether with the proposal for all visitors to Thailand to have health insurance ?
    I wonder if this is something that could be purchased at the Airport,just to get a bit more money into Greedy hands ?

  • Discussion 33 : 14 Mar 2013 at 14.4933

    It would be really nice to have a high Speed train from Savarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya. Does anyone know if they are planning a station at the Airport? A lot of Taxis are going to lose customers.

  • Discussion 32 : 14 Mar 2013 at 11.5732

    A better train system all over the country needs to be addressed before constructing these HIGH speed trains which costs so much money
    .I also wonder why people are always looking to build something that cost much more than other means of transportation ? Monorails(electrically driven)could be used at a much lower cost and still offer speed and security as well as regular and convenient schedules for people to use and even for containers...it would remove so many trucks off the roads.Anyone really interested about saving money and still get the value for your money ??

  • Discussion 31 : 13 Mar 2013 at 20.5831

    hmmm i wonder how long it will take for the funding of this project to "disappear" probably before the first rail is laid!

    i wonder if the same construction company that won the police contracts (or any of it's directors who may just happen to be policiticans) will be involved :)

  • Discussion 30 : 13 Mar 2013 at 20.4930

    i really hate the naysayers on this blog. They are exactly the same as the ones who said that no Thais would use the BTS once it was built as it would be too expensive for ordinary people. Yes it was a bit under-utilised at the start but hey look at it now. They are all bursting at the seams trying to squeeze as many people into those cars all the time. My point is Thailand with a population of nearly 70 million and with a growing stardard of living should try and get this trains up and going as quickly as possible - not 5 years that's too slow. Make it 3.

  • Discussion 29 : 13 Mar 2013 at 12.3929

    The High Speed train will follow the original plans. They were NEVER for LOCAL service.

    China will build & pay-for from Vientiane to Bangkok.

    Thailand will be responsible for the connections to: Chang Mai (later into Northern Myanmar), Pattaya (later into Cambodia) and through southern Thailand.

    The southern route will later be extended to Singapore, the northern route will extend into India and a western route to Myanmar's new sea port.

    IMO - China will be supplying the technology, trains and building the electrical power dams.

    The Thai local train tracks are NOW being up-graded, they need new rolling stock and compliance to

  • Discussion 28 : 12 Mar 2013 at 22.4228

    It only takes about 90 minutes by car and the money would be better spent on any of a dozen more needed projects.

  • Discussion 27 : 12 Mar 2013 at 16.1927

    D19 (Dickfarang), in answer to your question, yes I have. And I've had the unfortunate experience to ride on them (several times). But what's your point? That rails are different? Of course they are. Are you saying Thailand needs a high speed train to Pattaya? They don't. They need to fix their existing system. Then put in a non-stop (express) Bangkok-Chonburi, then to Pattaya.

  • Discussion 26 : 12 Mar 2013 at 13.0226

    "Japan, China, South Korea, France, Germany and Spain are among possible contenders for the bid on technology". After Siemens got hit with a US$1.5 billion fine, the Germans aare very wary of corruption and they'll insist on international arbitration if they get in dispute with the government (recall the case involving the tollway) and the Japanese will take the same tack (they already have.) The Thais can't build anything like this. My hunch is that it will be a Chinese company since they are "flexible" about corruption, even though they thier technology lags far behind the other countries. Thailand will get ripped off.

  • Discussion 25 : 12 Mar 2013 at 06.5925

    Surely the priority should be to spend money on projects to benefit all Thais.
    Tourists should be considered too, as they help keep the economy alive.
    Not all Tourists, especially families want to visit sleazy pataya.

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