The State Railway of Thailand opened public hearings into its plans to lay new rail lines to connect ports in Laem Chabang and Sattahip with Bangkok.
Chonburi Deputy Gov. Thawatchai Radngam opened the Dec. 19 meeting at the Asia Pattaya Hotel with SRT chief engineer Julathep Jittasombat.
The feasibility study project, which began in October and runs through September, assesses the appropriateness, design and environmental impact of the passenger line linking Bangkok’s Airport Rail Link station in Hua Mark to Chachoengsao and Sriracha, and a double-track freight rail between Laem Chabang Port, Sattahip Commercial Port and the Maptaphut Industrial Estate.
The logistics upgrade is part of the government’s Eastern Economic Corridor project and lays the foundation for later rail links with Myanmar’s main port.
Julathep said rail is the only way to expand Thailand’s cargo capabilities, as roads are not a viable option. The port connections would reduce the current number of grade crossings, improving traffic on roads and highways, he said.
The impact of construction on residential areas will be limited, as most the work will be on SRT property, he added.
Nonetheless, members of the public attending the hearing worried aloud about expropriation of their land, particularly in Pattaya’s Charoen Sukpattana and Soi 5 December communities near the Pattaya train station.
Others insisted that if the government does use eminent domain on their property, they will be compensated at market rates so they can buy a new home.
Teerawit Thongnok, Nongprue Sub-district’s municipal clerk, fretted that construction will exacerbate traffic congestion and flooding.
He said the project managers must add flood-mitigation to its plans, as rail lines are barriers to proper storm-runoff drainage, he said.
Two more hearings were scheduled, one on Christmas at the Tide Resort in Bangsaen. For more information on the project, see Double TrackMaptatput.com.
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