Study to assess rail link to Den Chai in North
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THE feasibility study for a double-track rail line from Chiang Mai to Den Chai district in Phrae should be |completed in about a year and the move has spurred hope that the "northern capital" will become a tourism hub.
About Bt117 million has been set aside for the study and design of the one-metre gauge railway. This line is part of the country’s infrastructure development plan for 2015-23.
During the first public hearing on the project, held recently in Chiang Mai, Chaiwat Thongkamkoon, deputy head of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, said the route would help boost double-track rail lines in other parts of the country.
There are about 4,000 kilometres of tracks nationwide but only 2 per cent of them are double lines. The new lines will help expand transport capacity in the North.
Three routes are under consideration. The first option is a 217km link outlined along with the existing route. Trains could run at speeds of up to 90km per hour.
The second option is similar to the first except that some parts of the 206km route would be adjusted to have more curves in a bid to carry trains at speeds of up to 120kmh.
The third option is a 170km route so trains can travel at up to 160kmh.
All three options will include the stretch linking Phrae’s Den Chai district, Lamphun, Lampang and Chiang Mai provinces, which will connect with the double-track railroad for the route connecting Den Chai, Nakhon Sawan’s Pak Nam Pho section and Lop Buri.
When the study is completed, the authorities would know what the different routes will cost and which should be selected.
“I believe this route can be a choice for domestic transit and also a link with neighbouring countries in response to the Asean Economic Community’s full implementation at the end of this year,” Chaiwat said.
The project will give importance to environmental impact, engineering practicality and economic spin-offs.
Nawin Sintusa-ard, vice governor of Chiang Mai, said the rail link to Den Chai supports the province’s urban plan that promotes the northern Lanna culture as the soul of the North’s tourism and international trade.
