Bangkok - Changing city landscapes

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RESIDENTS in Bangkok and neighbouring areas like Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan are seeing changing landscapes and new landmarks emerging in different areas – as many mass-transit projects are now under construction.

Several urban and suburban areas of the capital now have elevated structures overhead, with train tracks on bridges crossing the Chao Phraya River, old buildings disappearing, and new junctions in the making. 

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A lot more changes will be visible when many projects – some underground, some elevated and others a combination of the two – are completed in a few years’ time. 

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Many shop-houses and buildings have been expropriated for train stations, both above ground and elevated. Many areas adjacent to the train routes have already witnessed a boom in real estate development, with condominium projects having sprung up for people who prefer the convenience of rail travel to go to work or school.

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Tha Phra Intersection, on the Thon Buri side of Bangkok, will house a key interchange station for the Metropolitan Rapid Transit’s Blue Line. When construction of the Blue Line’s extended section is finished in October 2019, it will complete the circular route – the only one in the country.

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The three-way Fai Chai Junction will become a four-way intersection when construction of a new road is completed. The junction also houses one of the Blue Line stations being built under Charan Sanitwong Road. During World War II, spotlights were installed at this junction to help anti-aircraft guns find Allied bombers attacking at night. That is where its name comes from – Fai Chai means ‘flashlight’. The area saw frequent bombings as strategically significant targets such as a train station and a naval dockyard were located there. 

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Physical changes are also taking place or in set to occur in areas such as Tao Poon, Bang Sue, Rat Burana and Bang Pho in Bangkok, as well as Bang Yai district in Nonthaburi and the Samrong area in Samut Prakan.

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Given there are plans for Bangkok to have a mass-transit network that extends over 500 kilometres, it’s safe to say the dramatic changes to the city’s landscape will go on for some time – over a decade, if there are no further delays.

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Source and more pictures

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Cambodia - Air cargo service takes flight

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Cambodia Angkor Air launched what it claimed to be the country’s first domestic air cargo service yesterday, using the existing capacity of its commercial passenger flights to fill the growing demand for air shipments.

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The new service, called Angkor Express Go, will transport goods along two main flight paths, with shipments travelling between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, company representatives said.

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Eng Molina, the airline’s general manager of marketing, said there is a growing demand in Cambodia for air cargo, especially for seafood, vegetables and other perishable products that are in high demand in Siem Reap, the country’s main tourism destination. 

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“We have learned that there is a huge demand for local transportation services, including air transport,” he said. “We believe that there is a big potential for this type of operation.”

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Molina said he expects people will start shifting away from land transport and transition to the faster air service for products that depend of rapid delivery times to maintain their quality. 

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Notoriously slow road travel from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap can take 10 hours, while air service can have the goods delivered in about an hour though at a higher cost, he conceded.

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Cambodia Angkor Air already operates cargo services, but only on international flights, Molina noted, adding that the airline has transported close to 4,700 tonnes of goods since 2013.

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The carrier uses two types of aircraft on its domestic routes. It flies 68-seater ATR72 planes, capable of carrying 400 kilograms of goods, as well as larger Airbus A320s, with 180 seats and a 2,000-kilogram cargo capacity.

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Cambodia Angkor Air is one of four Cambodian carriers serving domestic routes, along with Sky Angkor Airlines, Bassaka Air and Cambodia Bayon Airlines. Startup airline JC International Airlines is scheduled to commence service today.

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Sinn Chanserey Vutha, spokesman for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said Cambodia already has domestic cargo services through other airlines, though he expects Cambodia Angkor Air’s new service will be popular. 

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“There is more and more demand for cargo transportation by air, both for international and domestic flights he said. “I think the new service will be used by many and will be successful.”

However, Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Freight Forwarders Association, said he did not expect the new air service would result in any significant shift away from overland transport.

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“It just provides more options, but I don’t think it will be overly popular because the transportation fees will be much higher compared to land shipments,” he said. “Cambodian roads are getting much better and the transport of goods is also getting faster and easier.”

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Source Phnom Phen Post - author: Hor Kimsay'

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New shuttles bus service tested in capital of Bangkok

A new shuttle bus service connecting Bangkok’s Victory Monument area and key bus terminals such as the Southern Bus Terminal, the Mo Chit Bus Terminal and the Ekkamai Mo Chit Terminal, has been tested after passenger vans were banned in the area.

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Speaking as chairman of the committee in charge of regulating public transportation vans, Colonel Suwit Ketsri, deputy commander of the Second Cavalry Division King's Guard, said the test had been arranged to calculate the travelling time for each route's round trip to provide a proper number of shuttle buses.
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The Second Cavalry Division King's Guard chief of staff, Colonel Sombat Thanyawan, said four buses head to the Mo Chit Bus Terminal, six to the Southern Bus Terminal, and four to the Ekkamai Terminal every 20 minutes.
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"Shuttle buses will be added when there are too many passengers," he said.
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Traffic Police deputy commander Colonel Teerasak Suriwong said the trip between Victory Monument to the key bus terminals would normally take about two hours, while the shuttle buses running on the expressway would take about 20 minutes.
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The service is in response to the National Council for Peace and Order's mandate to better regulate traffic in the capital.

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Source: TheNation

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Cross-border route to link India, Myanmar, Thailand

1,400 km highway and other transport ties are major part of 'act east'policy, Indian ambassador says; world war ll bridges being repaired.

INDIA, Thailand and Myanmar are negotiating a breakthrough 1,400-kilometre highway that will link India with Southeast Asia by land for the first time in decades.

In an interview with The Nation, Indian Ambassador Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi said 73 bridges in Myanmar built during World War II more than seven decades ago are being renovated with funding from the Indian government to allow vehicles to cross the highway safely.

When the repair work is completed in 18 months, the highway could be opened to traffic from all three countries.

The planned highway, which starts in the eastern region of India from Moreh city to Myanmar's Tamu city, has received a positive response from Myanmar's new government following the recent general election.

At this stage, negotiations are underway to conclude a tri-nation motor vehicle agreement for the use of the 1,400km road that will reach Thailand at Tak's Mae Sot district.

 This will lead to land transport connectivity between South Asia and Southeast Asia and increased trade and investment among all partner countries with cargo transportation being the first priority.

However, there are still some security challenges for a section inside Myanmar, which will have to be resolved with the authorities.

The tri-nation highway exemplifies India's "Act East" policy, under which the Asian giant aims to boost its economic and other relations neighbouring countries in the East.

Myanmar's Dawei deep-sea port and industrial estate project near the Thai border is also expected to help further integrate eastern India with Asean.

The planned port can be linked up with India's Chennai port as well as Thailand's Laem Chabang Port on the other side of the ocean.

Under the "Act East" policy, India is also preparing to negotiate a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which includes the 10-country Asean grouping on top of the current India-Asean free-trade agreement (FTA).

Some Asean countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia have become members of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) FTA, so Asean is upgrading its FTAs with major trading partners such as India and China to formulate RCEP agreements, which are more advanced.

India views Asean as a central component of its "Act East" policy. Myanmar shares a border with India, while Thailand is a maritime neighbour with long-standing cultural and other ties, so both nations are India's gateway to Asean.

Thai-Indian trade amounted to US$8 billion (Bt285.5 billion) last year, while 1 million Indian tourists visited Thailand last year. There were also about 300 Indian weddings held here.

Among major Thai investors in India are CP Group, Delta Electronics, Ital-Thai and Pruksa Real Estate, while the major Indian firms operating in Thailand are Tata Group, Aditya Birla and Indorama.

India continues to rack up high economic growth of 7 per cent per year amid the global slowdown, he added.

 India’s recent pact with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal to facilitate free vehicular movement coupled with the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway could potentially increase intraregional trade by almost 60% as well as extract maximum strategic mileage.

A strategic pact signed by India to facilitate free vehicular movement with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal; alongside a proposal to step-up work on operationalising a 3200-km road link from Moreh (India) to Mae Sot (Thailand), are two vital components of the NDA government’s reinforced ‘Act East’ policy.

India’s recent pact with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal to facilitate free vehicular movement coupled with the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway could potentially increase intraregional trade by almost 60% as well as extract maximum strategic mileage.
A strategic pact signed by India to facilitate free vehicular movement with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal; alongside a proposal to step-up work on operationalising a 3200-km road link from Moreh (India) to Mae Sot (Thailand), are two vital components of the NDA government’s reinforced ‘Act East’ policy.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/sub-regional-road-connectivity-pacts-from-looking-east-to-linking-east/#sthash.E0idX9lr.dpuf

India’s recent pact with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal to facilitate free vehicular movement coupled with the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway could potentially increase intraregional trade by almost 60% as well as extract maximum strategic mileage.
A strategic pact signed by India to facilitate free vehicular movement with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal; alongside a proposal to step-up work on operationalising a 3200-km road link from Moreh (India) to Mae Sot (Thailand), are two vital components of the NDA government’s reinforced ‘Act East’ policy.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/sub-regional-road-connectivity-pacts-from-looking-east-to-linking-east/#sthash.E0idX9lr.dpuf

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Bangkokians forced to walk on Airport Rail Link track after train stopped working

Dozens of Bangkokians were forced to walk on the Airport Rail Link’s tracks this morning as they were evacuated from a train to another due to a power outage.

At 9am this morning, the Airport Rail Link transferred an entire crowded train to another train by foot between Makkasan and Ramkhamhaeng station, after the train had stopped working and they had spent an hour trying to fix the problem without success.

All passengers arrived safely at Hua Mark station. The Airport Rail Link is currently closed until they are able to clear all the passengers in its system, according to a Spring News journalist. 

The Airport Rail Link, which is operated by State Railway of Thailand’s subsidiary SRT Electrified Train, has not yet issued an official statement to explain the incident.

Source: Coconuts

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Bangkok - Boat explosion ‘was an accident, not sabotage’

60 passengers injured, four seriously, after commuter boat blast on Saen Saeb Canal in #Bangkok

 AN EXPLOSION on a Bangkok commuter boat on the Saen Saeb canal that injured 60 people yesterday was an accident and not sabotage, Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

Although concerned officials have not confirmed what caused the explosion, Sansern said the initial investigation found that a gas cylinder installed on the boat exploded and no explosive items were found. The incident took place near a pier at Wat Thep Leela.

Science and Technology Ministry deputy spokesman Worawarong Rakreungdet said the boat was powered by diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Officials suspected that the gas tank exploded. Witnesses saw smoke and smelled gas at the rear of the boat. However, the boat owner insisted the explosion occurred in the engine.

 Worawarong said the explosion may have been caused by the fact the gas tank could not withstand the pressure of the LNG. But Energy Ministry spokesman Thawarat Sutabutr said a post-explosion picture showed the gas tank was in good condition and he did not believe the LNG installation was the cause of the explosion. "Some parts in the boat may have been defective and that led to the accident.''

Deputy Transport Minister Omsin Chivapruek said he inspected the scene and found that the gas tank in the boat had leaked, causing a flame, but it did not explode.

The ministry has suspended all 30 gas-fuelled boats from operating on the Saen Saeb canal from a total of 72 boats until the cause of the incident is determined.

Chavalit Methayaprapat, the owner of Family Transport Co Ltd and operator of the boat, said the incident took place at about 6.45am while the boat was approaching Wat Thep Leela pier. 

 He said the explosion occurred in the engine while the boat was carrying 80 passengers, but the cause of the explosion was yet to be determined.

He said the explosion had nothing to do with the gas tank because the tank was still in a good condition. The boat did not capsize after the blast.

Chavalit said he had ordered that the company's 25 boats powered by LNG and diesel stop operating - leaving 47 diesel boats still running. He ordered the removal of gas systems from the 25 boats.

He said the gas systems were installed so the company did not have to increase fares. Eight years ago the price of petrol skyrocketed and the government promoted alternative energy

He said up to 40,000 commuters used the service each day on weekdays and 20,000 used it each day over the weekend.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said of 60 injured people, 14 people needed to be hospitalised and four were in intensive care.

Winyu Angsunit, deputy managing director of Viriyah Insurance Plc, said the company initially estimated the damage bill at Bt1.1 million and would pay compensation to concerned parties with full coverage. Coverage was Bt100,000 for any person who died. The 60 injured would be paid Bt15,000 each, Winyu said.

The incident was unprecedented, he said, and the cause of the explosion initially found to be either an accident or the engine being too old. He said Viriyah Insurance would consider charging gas-powered boats higher premiums than for those that run on petrol.

An injured commuter, who declined to be named, said she was walking toward the rear of the boat near the engine when she saw smoke coming from the engine before the explosion. The engine is located in the middle of the boat.

 She said a flame burnt her hair and underwear. Her legs and right arm were also burnt. She saw commuters knocked into the canal due to force of the explosion.

Another commuter, who also declined to be named, said the boat was heading to Pratunam before it had mechanical problems. Before the explosion, the boat driver told commuters to get off at Wat Thep Leela and change to another boat, she said.

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Bangkok, Sathorn Taksin BTS Station

BTS bottleneck: Saphan Taksin to get double track.

To relieve the traffic at the single-track Saphan Taksin station, officials decided to expand the station to a double track - although it will block the lanes of Sathorn bridge.

Walking back on its plan to demolish Saphan Taksin once and for all for faster traffic, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will instead expand the smallest BTS station by one meter on each side to build an additional track and waiting space, said Deputy Governor Amorn Kitchawengkul on Wednesday.

But as the Saphan Taksin station is right next to Sathorn elevated bridge, the expansion would take out two out of three lanes of the bridge. To solve this, officials will expand the affected part of the bridge by 80 centimeters on the other side to create another lane.

This new plan was decided instead of the previous project to get rid of the station to use the space for a double track. To accommodate residents, a moving walkway linking to Surasak station will be built, Prachachart reported.  

Source: Coconuts

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New BTS Gold Line along Chao Phraya River expected in 2017

A new BTS Gold Line, which will extend from Thonburi station for three kilometers, is expected to open in 2017.

Taweesak Lertprapan, director of the Traffic and Transportation Department, said the organization is currently assessing public opinion on the new BTS Gold Line, which will be partially funded by the the Icon Siam project, the THB50-billion, riverside shopping mall and condominium project by Siam Piwat, Magnolia Quality Development, and CP.

The project, on Charoen Nakhon road, is also set to open in 2017 and brands itself as the “largest community mall” in Thailand, with two 40- and 70-storey towers covering 80,000 square meters.

In the first launch, the BTS line will extend from the old Thonburi station with two stops: Icon Siam and Thaksin Hospital.

Two more stations along Somdet Chao Phraya road will be added later.

The new gold line, which was not originally in the BTS construction plan, was proposed in July.

The project is expected to cost THB2-3 billion and serve 47,000 passengers per day, Than Settakij and Prachachart reported.

Source: Coconuts

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