Chiang Mai to get electric train system within 4 years

CHIANG MAI: -- The northern city of Chiang Mai is to get its own electric rail system within the next four years, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) revealed Saturday.

Speaking at a seminar on Chiang Mai’s transformation into a regional transportation hub, OTP director-general Khamroblak Surasawadee said that the OTP and the Chiang Mai municipal authorities were currently designing a new transportation system for the city.

Not only would the city get a new bus system, it would also get an electric train system, which would take around a year to design and another three years to construct, he said, adding that the first route would link the Chiang Mai provincial hall to Chiang Mai International Airport and Hang Dong district.

Information technology experts from Chiang Mai University are currently working on a bus system for the city, expected to be up and running by the beginning of next year.

A recent public consultation on the city’s transformation into a regional transport hub witnessed widespread support from local people, but also a proposal to ensure that the project respected the environment.

--TNA 2004-12-19

With the new bus service, all it will do is add more traffic onto roads that cannot cope with traffic at the moment. They need to reduce the amount of traffic in the city, not add to it. IMHO the people with cars will still use them to go into the city, you would loose too much face catching a bus!!!
As to the new electical rail system. It looks like they will just have managed to clean up the mess on the super highway and outer ring road, those people travellin up and down the Maejo rd and Doi Saket rd will know what I mean, when it looks as if they will start digging the place up all over again.

Well surprise..surprise!! Could this have anything to do with the fact that several high ranking government officials in Bangkok, including the transport department, have large vested interests in real estate in the Hang Dong area? They also use the Chiangmai International airport regularly, with frequent visits to Provincial Hall. Nah! All just pure coincidence

No of couse not....as you say ...All just pure coincidence