Will new railway projects contribute to well being of Thais?
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It's good that the government is planning to build many dual-track railway routes connecting Thailand with other Asean countries. This should certainly help boost trade and investment, which should in the long run translate to Thai people's well being.
This explains why the government of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has been engaged with powerful countries to handle railway projects.
First, Thailand made a deal with China to build two high-speed railway lines with a combined length of 867 kilometres from Nong Khai to Map Ta Phut via Kaeng Khoi in Saraburi to Bangkok and from Bangkok to Kaeng Khoi. This project should cost about Bt400 billion.
The two governments are meeting again in Beijing from Wednesday until tomorrow, and the end result is expected to be a new investment model for the project.
The second deal is the three routes along the East-West and North-South economic corridors, which is likely to be handed over to Japan, especially since the two countries signed a memorandum of intent for collaboration during Prayut’s recent visit. This is also expected to be a high-speed railway.
Also, Germany recently expressed interest in the construction of a dual-track railroad with a 1.435-metre gauge for the Bangkok to Hua Hin route. Except in this case, it would be a normal-speed train.
Now the question is won’t the cost of maintenance rise if Thailand has different railway systems and different types of train carriages?
This is already happening in Bangkok and its surrounding areas where the three metro lines feature three different technologies and each is run separately by the MRT, the BTS and the Airport Rail Link.
Could it be possible for the government to opt for a common design of carriages for commuter or metro trains?
If it is possible to design a train carriage that can be run on different technologies, like one that can run on the technology from China, Japan and Germany, then investors can certainly be lured to spend on an assembly plant of these carriages in the country. This way, Thailand can save maintenance costs as well as create jobs and open the door to technology transfer.
Interestingly, professors from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Engineering recently held a press conference to express concern that this new railway link with neighbouring countries might backfire and create more losses rather than gains. Clearly, they do not want to see the country becoming a regional hub while only receiving small amounts in toll fees.
Perhaps, these concerns can be addressed if the bodies in charge can be reformed before these new routes are opened and the public is provided with clear strategy outlines.
Besides, China has already offered to take over as route operator.
Now the question is what happens in the future, as the structure of the regulatory bodies and related regulations still remain unclear? How will Thai railway operators compete with foreign companies?
The railway department is still undergoing public hearing and so far, nothing is clear as to who will be the regulatory body for checking the standards of railway construction.
Many previous governments tended to prefer focusing on the construction of railways, instead of creating jobs, introducing a new management system and updating rules and regulations.
Now, it remains to be seen if this military-led government can do things in a different way.
