PHUKET: THE construction firm that has emerged as favorite to build Phuket's airport link is ''100 percent confident'' of winning the contract, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha was told yesterday.
Zhi Shan Yan is also likely to build Thailand's high-speed rail link, hence the impression conveyed by consultant Tophon Kraianupongsa that the Phuket project will become theirs, too.
Governor Tri said that more than 10 companies remain in the running and all contenders will be presenting to the Phuket public next month, at a date and venue to be fixed.
But Khun Tophon says Zhi Shan Yan, a Hong Kong firm backed by South Korean funding, will be ready to start within 30 days of a memorandum of understanding being signed - and is also talking to Patong Mayor Pian Keesin about the controversial road tunnel through Patong Hill.
It would certainly make sense to build the airport link with the tunnel - if the tunnel is going ahead.
On the table are links from Phuket International Airport to Phuket City (41.42 kilometres) Phuket City to Patong (18.4 kilometres) and Bangkoo (the bypass intersection) to Chalong (16.8 kilometres).
What has yet to be determined is whether the link goes at road level at a cost of approximately 10 billion baht or is elevated at a cost of 20 billion baht.
Both options are likely to affect former Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob's attractive median strip parade of Phuket's symbolic palmyra. More of the trees are still being planted along the median strip beyond the airport junction.
Construction of Phuket's convention hall, north of the airport, is expected to begin in September and be finished by 2013 at the latest, Governor Tri said.
Some would-be airport link contractors have suggested a link continuation running north to the convention centre.
Part of the debate centres on whether the link would be express to Phuket City and Patong, or stopping-all-stations for locals as well as tourist visitors.
Plainly, given the time it would take some tourists to get from the airport to Patong, Kata and Karon via Phuket City, many will probably prefer to foot the bill for an expensive taxi.
Critics of the project fear an airport link could become an expensive ''white elephant'' that fails to give Phuket what it needs: the backbone for an efficient public transport system.
Unless the link system is capable of going directly from Phuket airport to Patong and the west coast, many onlookers believe Phuket would be better served by a comprehensive network of low-cost public buses.
Phuket desperately needs an alternative to the expensive taxi and tuk-tuk monopoly.
Zhi Shan Yan is also likely to build Thailand's high-speed rail link, hence the impression conveyed by consultant Tophon Kraianupongsa that the Phuket project will become theirs, too.
Governor Tri said that more than 10 companies remain in the running and all contenders will be presenting to the Phuket public next month, at a date and venue to be fixed.
But Khun Tophon says Zhi Shan Yan, a Hong Kong firm backed by South Korean funding, will be ready to start within 30 days of a memorandum of understanding being signed - and is also talking to Patong Mayor Pian Keesin about the controversial road tunnel through Patong Hill.
It would certainly make sense to build the airport link with the tunnel - if the tunnel is going ahead.
On the table are links from Phuket International Airport to Phuket City (41.42 kilometres) Phuket City to Patong (18.4 kilometres) and Bangkoo (the bypass intersection) to Chalong (16.8 kilometres).
What has yet to be determined is whether the link goes at road level at a cost of approximately 10 billion baht or is elevated at a cost of 20 billion baht.
Both options are likely to affect former Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob's attractive median strip parade of Phuket's symbolic palmyra. More of the trees are still being planted along the median strip beyond the airport junction.
Construction of Phuket's convention hall, north of the airport, is expected to begin in September and be finished by 2013 at the latest, Governor Tri said.
Some would-be airport link contractors have suggested a link continuation running north to the convention centre.
Part of the debate centres on whether the link would be express to Phuket City and Patong, or stopping-all-stations for locals as well as tourist visitors.
Plainly, given the time it would take some tourists to get from the airport to Patong, Kata and Karon via Phuket City, many will probably prefer to foot the bill for an expensive taxi.
Critics of the project fear an airport link could become an expensive ''white elephant'' that fails to give Phuket what it needs: the backbone for an efficient public transport system.
Unless the link system is capable of going directly from Phuket airport to Patong and the west coast, many onlookers believe Phuket would be better served by a comprehensive network of low-cost public buses.
Phuket desperately needs an alternative to the expensive taxi and tuk-tuk monopoly.
As a rail transit professional involved with many projects both in Thailand and abroad for the past 35 odd years (and as a former resident on Phuket) I can tell you with some accuracy that this will be a white elephant. It would take me a number of pages to go into substantiating this with facts and figures but in short here's a few to chew over; Bangkok's skytrain is still more than 100,000 passengers per day short of its initial targets set 12 years ago. Bangkok's subway is still 200,000 per day short of initial targets after 7 years of operation. Kuala Lumpur's LRT systems are still only averaging 35% of initial forecast ridership after 15 years in operation. The Airport Rail Link express service in Bangkok is carrying an average of 20 passengers per day since it opened in August 2010.
As a former mayor of New York City said ''never build a subway until there is a traffic jam of buses.''
For an island like Phuket an organised network of suburban (all stops) and express buses, and cheaper taxis is the answer.
Posted by Pat Pending on June 11, 2011 11:41