Bangkok Elevated Road and Train System
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Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
: โครงการระบบการขนส่งทางรถไฟยกระดับในกรุงเทพมหานคร), commonly known as the Hopewell Project (โครงการโฮปเวลล์) after main contractor Hopewell Holdings
Hopewell Holdings
Hopewell Holdings Limited ,, established on 17 October, 1972], is a Hong Kong-listed infrastructure and property firm headed by Sir Gordon Wu.-History:It was listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 1972....
, was a failed project to build an elevated highway and rail line from central Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
to Don Muang Airport. Construction started in 1990, but was halted by legal acrimony in 1997 with only 10-13% complete. The project was cancelled in 1998.
History
The 80 billion bahtThai baht
The baht is the currency of Thailand. It is subdivided into 100 satang . The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand.-History:The baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass...
(US$3.2 billion) project was approved on November 9, 1990, without a feasibility study or clear timeline for completion, as a joint project of the Thai Ministry of Transport and Communications, the State Railway of Thailand
State Railway of Thailand
The State Railway of Thailand is the state-owned rail operator in Thailand. The network sees around 50 million passengers per annum.-History:SRT was founded as the Royal State Railways of Siam in 1890...
(SRT) and the Thai subsidiary of Hopewell Holdings
Hopewell Holdings
Hopewell Holdings Limited ,, established on 17 October, 1972], is a Hong Kong-listed infrastructure and property firm headed by Sir Gordon Wu.-History:It was listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 1972....
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. There were to be three phases: the first a north-south line from Hualamphong, Bangkok's main train station, to Don Muang Airport; the second an east-west line from Taling Chan
Taling Chan
Taling Chan is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbor, clockwise from north, are Amphoe Bang Kruai of Nonthaburi Province, Bang Phlat, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok Yai, Phasi Charoen, Bang Khae, and Thawi Watthana districts of Bangkok....
to Hua Mak; and the third a spur to the port. Totaling 60 km, all three were to be built on top of existing SRT train lines.
Rumors of corruption swirled around the project from the outset. The first part of the project was due to be in operation by December 1995, with the rest completed by December 1999. However, construction ceased in August 1997 during the Asian financial crisis, with only around 10% complete. Gordon Wu
Gordon Wu
Sir Gordon Ying Sheung Wu, GBS, KCMG, FICE is the chairman of the board of Hong Kong-listed Asian infrastructure firm Hopewell Holdings Ltd.Born in Hong Kong in 1935, Wu has been an advocate for more than two decades for the construction of Asia's largest bridge project linking Hong Kong, Macau...
of Hopewell blamed slow land acquisition on the Thai government, which had averaged one coup per year since the deal was signed, while Thai officials stated that Hopewell had simply run out of money. Both sides demanded financial compensation and threatened to sue the other for breach of contract, with Hopewell claiming the work had cost it US$575 million. The project was formally terminated by the Cabinet in 1998.
Status
Bangkok Post
The Bangkok Post is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. The first issue was sold on August 1, 1946. It had four pages and cost 1 baht, a considerable amount at the time....
as "a Bangkok version of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
". Revivals of the project were proposed periodically by both Hopewell and SRT, but were always shot down by the government of then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
. According to an Asian Institute of Technology
Asian Institute of Technology
The Asian Institute of Technology is an international institution for higher education in engineering, advanced technologies, and management and planning...
study, the vast majority of the pillars remain structurally sound and in usable condition, and it has been proposed to use them to build an extension of the BTS Skytrain.
Much of the Uttaraphimuk Elevated Tollway on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road
Vibhavadi Rangsit Road
Vibhavadi Rangsit Road or Thailand Route 31, often informally called Vibhavadi Road , is a highway in Thailand. It is part of Thailand Route 301....
parallels the BERTS north-south alignment, with some flyovers since built that obstruct parts of the route.
A few of the BERTS east-west line's pillars were demolished in 2005 to make way for the Suvarnabhumi Airport Link, which opened to the public in August 2010. If built, the planned SRT Red Lines
SRT Red Lines
-Overview:The SRT Red Lines are a planned elevated metro system in Bangkok, Thailand.The lines will be operated by the State Railway of Thailand or SRT....
would cover the rest of the BERTS east-west and north-south lines, and the project has been described as a "Hopewell revival".