The Deal Is Done

[Guest]

Thailand, China sign train investment pact, congratulations to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for closing the the deal.

 

http://www.bangkokpo...gn-railway-deal

[Flashermac]

Abhisit's government had been talking to China about a rail line across Laos, then through Issan, and on to Bangkok. Eventually it would go to all the way Malaysia and Singapore. When Yingluck replaced him as PM, her government instead planned a high speed line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Huh?

 

This agreement seems to be something different from either of those ideas.

[Mekong]

Deep Sea Port in Map Ta Phut last time I looked the only deep sea port on the Eastern Seaboard was at Laem Chabaeng the 22nd busiest container port in the world.

[Flashermac]

I remember when Laem Chabang was being built in the late 1980s, since I was Bangkok stringer for a Japanese trade paper (part-time but a welcome addition to my income). Map Ta Phut has a major industrial park, though I've never heard it described as a deep sea port. However, the rail line to Map Ta Phut passes by Laem Chabang and thus serves both. I imagine the Post reporter just didn't know the difference.

[Mekong]

Coming from Nong Khai IMHO Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Korat (Nakon Ratchasima) Sa Kaeo would lead down to Rayong / Map Ta Phut would be the most direct route and would not pass through Laem Chabaeng.

 

I do know the Eastern Seaboard quite well, when I first came to Thailand back in 1991 I was working in Map Ta Phut and only located in Bangkok post millennium, more recently I worked out of a multinational's office in Thungsulka literally across Sukhumvit from Laem Chabaeng Port, about 7-8 years ago there was a thread on this board about the ESB and Pattaya 127 was proven wrong and has never posted since.

[Flashermac]

There already is a Bangkok-Map Ta Phut rail line that passes Laem Chabang, and I figured that would come into play.

[Guest]

There already is a Bangkok-Map Ta Phut rail line that passes Laem Chabang, and I figured that would come into play.

 

Maybe for the future they want to use standard-gauge tracks

 

Ta Phut deep sea port ...

 

Investment of Bt7 billion, the Industrial Estate ...... Bt3 billion on building the port with an annual capacity of 2.5 million tonnes

 

Ta Phut deep seaport, in Rayong province of the Eastern Seaboard. It is in the vicinity of 200 kilometers from Bangkok.

Coordinates: Latitude 12 ° 40' 20'' North' Longitude 101° 08' 50'' East

 

Design

 

The berthing face is 1,000 Meters long with a depth design of 14.7 meters(MSL).

It can provide for "Panamax"(60,000 DWT) vessels berths and "Handysize " (20,000 - 40,000 DWT) vessels with an area for coastal shipping and barge. Five to Six of vessels can be berth in the same time according to the length of vessel.

 

Water Depths

 

The normal maximum draft for vessels arriving or departing from berth is 12.5 m. This draft relates to depth in front of the loading platform ,which has been dredged to a depth of 14.7 Mean Sea Level (MSL). The existing depth allowance for underkeel clearance is 0.6 m.