Transport schedules Sept-Oct for foreign offers

The ministry will also start conducting environmental-impact assessments for the four high-|speed-rail routes in June with the target to commence construction by 2017-18, Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, said yesterday.
The northern, southern, northeastern and western routes will not only link Bangkok to the provinces but also link Thailand with other countries in the region after the Asean Economic Community (AEC) goes into effect in 2015, he told a seminar on the transport network as the way to develop the city organised by Thansettakij newspaper.
The ministry also is studying business models to develop the high-speed railway system, including a joint venture with the private sector.
“Although the high-speed-rail projects will not generate profits by themselves, they will promote growth in |the country’s economy in the long haul,” he said.
Waradej Harnprasert, director-general of the Civil Aviation Depart-ment, said the high-speed-rail lines would take more than 10 years to complete, so the use of airlines, especially low-cost carriers, for transport would continue to grow.
This is the way to support transport links between Thailand and AEC countries.
The department now manages six airports – Narathiwat, Betong in Yala province, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Krabi, and Mae Sot in Tak province. They are potential aviation hubs to link with AEC members. The department plans to develop and renovate its airports to serve the rising demand for transport.
Chaiwat Utaiwan, president of Bangkok Metro, said the mass-transit links among rail, road, river and air would support public transport and the economy because they will save time in doing business.
Bangkok has only the Skytrain and the MRT subway but the city is expanding with new central business districts popping up around the mass-transit system.
This shows that investing in mass transit will support growth in the provinces and the country as a whole, he said.
Kittipol Pramote Na Ayudhya, president of the Thai Real Estate Association, said mass-transit expansion would spur demand for residential and commercial buildings. For example, when the government announced the Bt2-trillion plan to develop the country’s logistics system, residential demand spurted in major provinces in all regions.
“We believe that when the government’s transport system is completed according to plan, that will drive expansion of the property market from Greater Bangkok to the provinces,” he said.