Originally Posted by
Tchiowa
I've seen some signs on the old concrete scarecrows near Don Muang that they may start working there. But U-Tapao? Rail link?
In relation to the proposed U-Tapao link, one should remember two facts.
1) U-Tapao is getting a current 100m baht upgrade and a proposed 4 billion baht upgrade (soon to be approved) to expand capacity and increase pax from the current 100K a year to 3m a year. Essentially, to make it the eastern seaboard airport.
2) The link to U-Tapao will be a spur line off the proposed Eastern HSR line from BKK to Rayong via Chonburi which is in the final design stage. The route of this line runs very close to U-Tapao so it would not cost much to build the spur line.
The Eastern HSR line was previously proposed to use the ARL as a backbone with Makkasan as the terminus station for full intergration with the ARL and new BAng Sue intercity Terminus which is being built.
More recent silly proposals from the Japanese on the Advisory Panel wish for wide bodied Japanese rolling stock to be used which would mean that the Eastern cannot use the ARL (the rolling stock would be too wide) and thus it would have to terminate at Lak Krabang and pax change trains/lines.
The Japanese are probably obviously influencing decision makers as the Malaysians have on the monorail side of the future BKK network where 3 lines have changed from heavy rail to monorail.
Stupidity and poor planning abounds!