SRT double tracking BKK-Nong Khai route?

[FrazeeDK]

with English subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzQL4NCH73k

[FrazeeDK]

If the cost is still subsidized by the government and speed increases to 100-120kph for passenger then it will certainly have increased usage...

[tamada]

There's a bridge?

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... y-by-april

[FrazeeDK]

yes, its is called the Friendship Bridge and I believe it has been there since 1994.. Now, when exactly they put the 1 meter gauge SRT track down the middle is unknown although I know for a fact it was there around 99 for sure.. The Thais subsidized the 2.5km extension from the bridge to Thanalaeng on the Lao side in the 00's and the 7.5km extension to north of Vientiane probably around 2016 or so. Both extensions should have been completed at least 20 years ago or more.. Now, the "NEW" dual tracking and High Speed Rail bridge has had an MOU signed between the Thai and Lao governments. That was a couple of years ago. The bridge concept shows a two dual track rails, one pair the one meter gauge SRT and the other pair the Standard Gauge.. When will this new bridge start construction? I'm not sure but pretty much the whole purpose of connecting Thailand to China is primarily for freight transport (the High Speed trains for passengers are fluff). Currently if you're often on the East Ring Road you'll see masses of large semi-tractor trailers hauling goods for Laos and on to China. That traffic will subside significantly once the HSR connection is completed.

[tamada]

yes, its is called the Friendship Bridge and I believe it has been there since 1994.. Now, when exactly they put the 1 meter gauge SRT track down the middle is unknown although I know for a fact it was there around 99 for sure.. The Thais subsidized the 2.5km extension from the bridge to Thanalaeng on the Lao side in the 00's and the 7.5km extension to north of Vientiane probably around 2016 or so. Both extensions should have been completed at least 20 years ago or more.. Now, the "NEW" dual tracking and High Speed Rail bridge has had an MOU signed between the Thai and Lao governments. That was a couple of years ago. The bridge concept shows a two dual track rails, one pair the one meter gauge SRT and the other pair the Standard Gauge.. When will this new bridge start construction? I'm not sure but pretty much the whole purpose of connecting Thailand to China is primarily for freight transport (the High Speed trains for passengers are fluff). Currently if you're often on the East Ring Road you'll see masses of large semi-tractor trailers hauling goods for Laos and on to China. That traffic will subside significantly once the HSR connection is completed.

Thanks for that, very enlightening. The (train)wheels of progress sure turn slowly here.

I wonder if the HSR will make a dent in the road hauliers stock-in-trade or if the rail passenger traffic will be just "fluff"??

A few years ago, I think it was in The Economist, I was reading how China's belt and road initiative in Kenya created a new high-speed rail link between the largest port at Mombasa and the nation's capital, Nairobi. This with a view to eliminating the heavy road haulage and attendant pollution moving the goods from the shore and speeding up the whole import/export business. They built new Customs clearance facilities and warehousing at the Nairobi end as well but, the agents, warehousing, customs brokers, bondsmen and the likes that handle the dockside transhipments had other ideas and stayed put. No doubt the road hauliers also had their oar in the water. So the dirty trucks still travel the overcrowded highway, while the shiny new trains ferry delighted and happy Nairobi families for beach side weekends on heavily subsidized fares.

Things may have changed by now in East Africa, but there's probably a very, very good reason why this Thai-Lao slow dance has been so glacially slow.

[FrazeeDK]

The Lao government hyped the high speed passenger aspect of their new rail system endlessly. Now after a goodly time in service they've announced that 95% of the rail traffic on the line has been freight.. I expect nothing different when the Thai segement of the HSR is completed.. Add to that the added capacity of the Thai 1 meter gauge SRT lines when they finally complete the dual tracking from Khaeng Khoi junction just northeast of Saraburi up to Khorat and then the final single track segment from KK to Nong Khai.

Older story but shows the huge amount of freight being moved back and forth from China to Laos. This also includes freight transshipped to Thailand from the Thanaleg freight port onto either trucks or SRT freight trains.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/25 ... rder-goods

[sometimewoodworker]

A monster of a big project.......it must be in the multi-billions of baht......the only improvement being a double track. Same old slow trains!

Over the past several years the track has been improved and so has the rolling stock.

These improvements and replacements have shortened the overnight trip time by about 2 hours (20% reduction) and have increased the top speed of the trains. If the track was doubled more delays would be eliminated as the trains would not have to wait or slow to allow other traffic on the line.

So doubling the track will allow for the trip time to decrease again due to better track and allowing the rolling stock to maintain a much higher average speed. I would expect the trip time to reduce again significantly possibly as much as a further 20%.

The new sleeper trains can get to over 120kmh on the better sections of track.

[FrazeeDK]

SRT is still building the dual track segment from Khorat south to just north of Saraburi. The three tunnels are done. the 5km viaduct through Muak Lek (at its highest 50 meters) is done. There are only a couple of segments not completed. Can't comment on it much though since the SRT AMMW You Tube channel hasn't posted one of their drone reviews for a year now.. Once complete the dual tracking won't just speed up passenger trains (yes 120kph is the goal) but allow a much speedier movement of freight trains. Currently if you watch any of the HSR update videos you'll see a number of rail lay-bys where long freight trains are parked until getting clearance to move up or down the system.

[Khun Paul]

I really smle when I see the comments on here, when I came here over 22 yearsago , I talked to my then father in l;aw who worked for the RTP but he knew trains. He relayed top me that the Railway lines were all meant to be dual9 tracked from the outset, but sadly as so opften here corruption, fingers in the lie and typical bad management caused only one track to be laid`.
Then it was not so bad, less passengers and freight. Now they are implementing what should have been laid down nearly 40/45 years ago .

[FrazeeDK]

no doubt it should have been done long ago.. Just as for decades in Bangkok there was talk of building a 2nd airport. That eventually happened with the attendant political accusations of graft, kickbacks and bribery.. Bangkok got its first Skytrain nearly 25 years ago and people said that would never happen.. Things move at their own pace but lately things have sped up a lot..

Oh, BTW, here's a "fun fact".. The Thai Railway system as first built was the standard gauge 1.435 meter and was standardized later as the 1 meter gauge..

[FrazeeDK]

contract awarded. Projected completion August of 2570. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw0cudP7zHY&t=392s

So, we should see some type of construction activity starting in the next few months.

[Doodoo]

"So, we should see some type of construction activity starting in the next few months"
Define "next few Months" in Thai

[FrazeeDK]

completion projected for August 2570. So, in the video they say the contract time is 36 months. That means, we should see construction start this August? It is one contract rather than split into multiple ones. Will they start in multiple locations? Seems to me the stretch between Nong Khai and Udon is flat, with simple road overpasses required. The elevated section in Udon will be take a while. There is also an elevated section planned for down in Nam Phong.

[Doodoo]

Thanks