Bangkok’s monorail makes progress

BANGKOK, 21 August 2017: Bombardier Transportation has announced two contracts for its Innovia Monorail 300 system for two mass rapid transit lines in Thailand.

The contracts are with the Northern Bangkok Monorail Co Ltd (NBM) and the Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co Ltd (EBM).

They will be responsible for the turnkey construction and 30-year concession of the new, elevated lines, which will improve the daily commute for over 400,000 people. Read more

Pattaya needs a remake

PATTAYA, 23 June 2016: I thought I would try to identify Pattaya-bound travellers while queuing at Suvarnabhumi airport’s Immigration counter. Not a difficult challenge if like me you have spent considerable time in Thailand’s eastern seaboard tourist trap.

I am tempted to say that most Pattaya travellers would fall short of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Quality Tourism tag, but that would be unfair. They could be billionaires dressing down to a T-shirt and shorts, travelling incognito.

Pattaya is convinced that it has “reinvented” itself over the last decade and a testament to that sentiment is the increase in international hotel chains prepared to put their brand names to an assortment of new generation hotels. Read more