Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Time to walk the talk
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/08/2024
» The government's inadequate response to the collapse of the high-speed railway tunnel in Nakhon Ratchasima demonstrates its bizarre insistence on following the same playbook, which has been proven to be unlikely to improve safety management at the nation's construction sites.
Crossing into despair
Oped, Editorial, Published on 01/07/2023
» Early this month, there was a short news report about the death of a railway staffer in Muang district of Udon Thani province. Local news rarely gathers much mainstream media attention, but this shed light on safety issues related to the infrastructure of the railway system.
Heritage went off the rails
Oped, Editorial, Published on 26/05/2023
» The controversial high-speed train project involving a tall structure and gigantic station plan that threatens the aesthetic value of the Ayutthaya heritage site, epitomises the loopholes in the country’s conservation regulations.
Rail project needs transparency
News, Editorial, Published on 14/08/2022
» A little over 23 kilometres separate the small provincial town of Nong Khai and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The distance may seem inconsequential, but this border area is critical to the success of the China-Singapore high-speed railway, part of Beijing's One Belt One Road logistic plan to link China with Asean. Yet the ambitious plan, unveiled in 2010, has been sputtering for nearly a decade, especially in Thailand.
High-speed rail dilemma
Oped, Editorial, Published on 14/06/2022
» The medieval Dutch canonical cleric Thomas van Kempen once said, "The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid." Kempen the cleric was obviously talking in a metaphorical sense, using basic construction jargon to drive home his point on spiritual development.
High-speed rail blues
News, Editorial, Published on 20/12/2021
» Concern has grown over the influx of fresh produce from China into the Thai market after the China-Laos bullet train railway commenced operations early this month.
Fine Arts must up its game
Oped, Editorial, Published on 05/06/2021
» Two days after the Fine Arts Department tried to distance itself from controversial environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports on the construction of a high-speed train station in Ayutthaya -- a stone's throw away from the province's historical park that is a Unesco World Heritage site -- the agency suddenly made a U-turn.
Push for rail concessions
News, Editorial, Published on 15/09/2020
» The Transport Ministry's proposal to grant the private sector concessions to operate and improve the country's rail system has been well-received by the public. Unsurprising, perhaps, considering the State Railway of Thailand's accumulated debt exceeds 100 billion baht -- a record no one is proud of.
Get tough to cut road toll
News, Editorial, Published on 05/11/2019
» The shockingly high death toll from road accidents in Thailand -- which currently stands at 45 lives lost a day -- attests not only to the grim fact that the government has failed to tackle this chronic problem, but also to the urgent need to overhaul our accident prevention measures.
Rail crossings remain unsafe
News, Editorial, Published on 14/04/2019
» A crash involving a passenger van and a train in Lop Buri last week proves that a "couldn't care less" attitude remains a major cause of accidents.