High Speed Railway Development Analysis
4.5 The unfulfilled high-speed railway development
Continuity of domination by the capitalist class and road-oriented policy
Since 1990s when Thailand has become one of the newly-industrialized countries, the capitalist class has been in the dominated status, as its members have been able to capture the state and adjust national interests to compatible with its interest. During the 1990s, the bunch of provincial capitalists directed the legislative process in the parliament as elected members (Pasuk and Baker, 2000). The control over parliament ever intensified after the Asian financial crisis in the 1997 that the capitalists, especially the new tycoons who had survived the crisis, directly captured the state (Hewison, 2006). Although the military and conservative coalitions occasionally ousted capitalist-led elected government, …show more content…
According to Wilber Smith et al (1994: 9), “government is seriously considering the implementation of high-speed train initially perhaps on the Eastern Seaboard (SEB) corridor”. In the initial phase, the project would have a maximum speed for 160 kilometers per hour and operate on the electrified standard gauge. The high speed train would be “airport shuttle” that would operate in each direction at the commencement of operations every ten minutes. The operation would be later be increased to every five minutes and trains will be lengthened if there was increasing in passenger demands. Currently, the Prayuth government is reviving the idea of combination of the high-speed railway and airports to promote the strategy of Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), which will also take place on the same area with the Chaun government’s plan. The similarity of the ambition of Chaun and Prayuth government moderately shows the continuity of bureaucrat-led
Continuity of domination by the capitalist class and road-oriented policy
Since 1990s when Thailand has become one of the newly-industrialized countries, the capitalist class has been in the dominated status, as its members have been able to capture the state and adjust national interests to compatible with its interest. During the 1990s, the bunch of provincial capitalists directed the legislative process in the parliament as elected members (Pasuk and Baker, 2000). The control over parliament ever intensified after the Asian financial crisis in the 1997 that the capitalists, especially the new tycoons who had survived the crisis, directly captured the state (Hewison, 2006). Although the military and conservative coalitions occasionally ousted capitalist-led elected government, …show more content…
According to Wilber Smith et al (1994: 9), “government is seriously considering the implementation of high-speed train initially perhaps on the Eastern Seaboard (SEB) corridor”. In the initial phase, the project would have a maximum speed for 160 kilometers per hour and operate on the electrified standard gauge. The high speed train would be “airport shuttle” that would operate in each direction at the commencement of operations every ten minutes. The operation would be later be increased to every five minutes and trains will be lengthened if there was increasing in passenger demands. Currently, the Prayuth government is reviving the idea of combination of the high-speed railway and airports to promote the strategy of Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), which will also take place on the same area with the Chaun government’s plan. The similarity of the ambition of Chaun and Prayuth government moderately shows the continuity of bureaucrat-led