Academics slam lack of details for Sino-Thai railway project

Academics slam lack of details for Sino-Thai railway project

Academics including Assoc Prof Sompong Sirisoponsilp (left) and Assoc Prof Nuannoi Trirat (centre) discussed the government's railway plans at a discussion hosted at Chulalongkorn University. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)
Academics including Assoc Prof Sompong Sirisoponsilp (left) and Assoc Prof Nuannoi Trirat (centre) discussed the government's railway plans at a discussion hosted at Chulalongkorn University. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)

Academics have expressed concerns that there is no paper-based evidence to determine the feasibility of the controversial Sino-Thai high-speed train project other than what media have reported.

Speaking at an academic discussion held at Chulalongkorn University yesterday on the rail project, Assoc Prof Sompong Sirisoponsilp, the former director of the Transportation Institute of Chulalongkorn, said he sees the project as an epic and dodgy one.

The project was initially proposed as a high-speed train route from Bangkok to Nong Khai to connect with Laos. Then another route was proposed from Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi to Map Ta Phut, Rayong, connecting in Bangkok. But now the project has been shortened to link Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, spanning 252.5 kilometres with a budget at 179 billion baht.

The project was first raised during the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration, then resuscitated during Yingluck Shinawatra's government. As the project has a high investment value, it has been slow in development.

As soon as Prayut Chan-o-cha took power in a coup, he made the project a priority. He has pledged to push the rail scheme through with the help of Section 44 from the interim charter, yielding greater progress than previous administrations.

"What concerns me the most is Section 44 will be used to push this project through. Such a large investment will definitely make Thailand look good, similar to other developed countries, but it might be a big flop if they don't study the project carefully first," said Assoc Prof Sompong.

"We should ask do we really need a high-speed train for that route? What will the project actually produce? And who will benefit from this project?"

The rail project is also controversial because if approved, the route would host three different mass transit systems. The government recently approved the construction of a Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima motorway project. Double-track rail also connects the route.

Assoc Prof Nuannoi Trirat, an economics professor and director of the Institute of Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn University, said the government should study the economic and social impact of the project before making a decision.

"We can see many examples of failure such as the Airport Rail Link and the Purple Line. As this project has a high investment value and the Thai government will have to foot a large portion of the bill, they'd better be sure they are not wasting taxpayers' money," said Assoc Prof Nuannoi.

"If what they want is development around train stations along the route, high-speed trains will not offer this because they won't have as many stops as a double-track train. They need to think about this carefully."

With an exemption allowing foreign engineers and architects to take part in the project without having to pass local professional certification, Assoc Prof Sompong is concerned the project will not be sustainable.

"Thailand will become the UN of rail systems because we rely too much on other countries to set up systems for us. We have Japan, China, Canada, Germany and South Korea setting up train systems for us. This means we will rely on them for everything, including maintenance," Assoc Prof Sompong said.

"We need to develop our own resources to keep up with all these technologies. We should be able to develop rail routes, build trains, and start selling them to other countries. This constitutes sustainable development.

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