Thai-Chinese joint ventures for light rail in ASEAN neighbor states?
By Jon Fernquest
The
Chairman of China's largest train manufacturer was in Bangkok this week
to oversee the delivery of new train
carriages
for Skytrain. In the photo on the right a "monk blesses a new BTS train" as the company receives delivery of new trains from its Chinese supplier.
Today's article begins after the vocabulary.
joint ventures - projects
or companies owned and operated by more than one
company
light rail - small trains used for public transportion or mass transit in a city (See Wikipedia)
mass - large numbers จำนวนมหาศาล
transit - the act of moving from one place to another การเดินทางผ่าน
mass transit - a transportion system for moving large numbers of people around a city or region everyday
oversee - to watch or organise a job or an activity to make certain that it is being done correctly คุมงาน,ควบคุม, manage, check to see if a project is going ok จัดการ ดูแล
train carriages - the many cars that carry passengers that are linked together on a train
bless - using a prayer or chant to create protection or good luck for someone
light rail - small trains used for public transportion or mass transit in a city (See Wikipedia)
mass - large numbers จำนวนมหาศาล
transit - the act of moving from one place to another การเดินทางผ่าน
mass transit - a transportion system for moving large numbers of people around a city or region everyday
oversee - to watch or organise a job or an activity to make certain that it is being done correctly คุมงาน,ควบคุม, manage, check to see if a project is going ok จัดการ ดูแล
train carriages - the many cars that carry passengers that are linked together on a train
bless - using a prayer or chant to create protection or good luck for someone
Economics
Chinese train firm considers BTS link
Vietnam metro lines hold best potential28/06/2010
Nareerat Wiriyapong
LAEM CHABANG : Changchun Railway Vehicles Co (CRC), China's largest train manufacturer, is in talks with Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) about joining with the BTS Skytrain operator to develop projects outside Thailand.
BTS is highly competitive and offers strong technological capability, says CRC chairman Dong Xiaofeng.
firm
- a company บริษัท
metro - within a city and the suburbs of a city
metro lines - one set of train tracks that go to a place (that provide service to people who live in that place)
metro trains - trains used for mass transportation in cities
potential - the possibility of success ที่มีศักยภาพ ที่เป็นไปได้
talks - negotiations, formal discussions of problems between different sides in a conflict in order to solve the problem
competitive - fighting over some limited resource or prize มีการแข่งขัน
capability - the ability to do something ความสามารถ
metro - within a city and the suburbs of a city
metro lines - one set of train tracks that go to a place (that provide service to people who live in that place)
metro trains - trains used for mass transportation in cities
potential - the possibility of success ที่มีศักยภาพ ที่เป็นไปได้
talks - negotiations, formal discussions of problems between different sides in a conflict in order to solve the problem
competitive - fighting over some limited resource or prize มีการแข่งขัน
capability - the ability to do something ความสามารถ
CRC chairman Dong Xiaofeng said the company had seen an opportunity for jointly developing international projects with BTSC in countries such as Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos.
We have been in discussions with BTS to expand our operations outside Thailand," Mr Dong said at a ceremony on Friday to mark the delivery of CRC-made trains to BTS at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri.
opportunity
- a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do
(See glossary)
jointly - done together อย่างร่วมกัน, พร้อมกัน, ด้วยกัน
international - between countries ระหว่างประเทศ
expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
ceremony - a formal public event งานพิธี
mark - to show that something is happening เป็นการเริ่มต้น, เป็นเครืองแสดง and celebrate the event ฉลอง
port - an area of water where ships stop, including the buildings around it ท่าเรือ
Laem Chabang port - port near Bangkok on Eastern Seaboard with facilities for container ships
container ships - cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers (See Wikipedia on container ship and containerization)
jointly - done together อย่างร่วมกัน, พร้อมกัน, ด้วยกัน
international - between countries ระหว่างประเทศ
expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
ceremony - a formal public event งานพิธี
mark - to show that something is happening เป็นการเริ่มต้น, เป็นเครืองแสดง and celebrate the event ฉลอง
port - an area of water where ships stop, including the buildings around it ท่าเรือ
Laem Chabang port - port near Bangkok on Eastern Seaboard with facilities for container ships
container ships - cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size containers (See Wikipedia on container ship and containerization)
BTS is the most competitive train operator in Thailand with strong technological capability. That's the main reason why we want to expand our co-operation, partly by bidding for international projects together.
If demand is big enough in Asean, CRC might also invest in a train assembly plant in Thailand to serve the region, he added.
strong technological capability -
ability to do engineering projects and work (computers,
building, manufacturing, etc)
reason - an explanation of an event, why an event happened เหตุ ; เหตุผล ; สาเหตุ
co-operation - working together to achieve goals
bidding - making an offer in an auction (here trying to offer to do project for lowest cost and thus win contract)
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
train assembly plant - factory for building trains
reason - an explanation of an event, why an event happened เหตุ ; เหตุผล ; สาเหตุ
co-operation - working together to achieve goals
bidding - making an offer in an auction (here trying to offer to do project for lowest cost and thus win contract)
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
train assembly plant - factory for building trains
Headquartered in Jilin province in northeastern China, CRC controls half of the train market on the mainland and supplies 70% of all metro trains in use in urban areas. The company has a capacity to produce 1,000 high-speed trains a year and 1,500 units of metro trains, with 12,000 workers
CRC-made trains are exported to more than 10 international markets including Iran, Pakistan, Italy, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.
headquartered in Y - the
company headquarters is located in Y
headquarters - the central place (building, complex of buildings) for a company or organization, where decisions are made and activities like accounting and marketing for the organization coordinated (See Wikipedia)
metro trains - trains used for mass transportation in cities
urban - in a city (not rural area) ในเมือง
capacity - the amount of something that can be produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)
headquarters - the central place (building, complex of buildings) for a company or organization, where decisions are made and activities like accounting and marketing for the organization coordinated (See Wikipedia)
metro trains - trains used for mass transportation in cities
urban - in a city (not rural area) ในเมือง
capacity - the amount of something that can be produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)
Mr Xiaofeng said CRC had a joint-venture agreement for a train assembly plant in Tehran, which is expected to start the operations in four years, and has formed a similar joint venture in South America.
Surapong Laoha-Unya, the BTS chief operating officer, said the metro rail projects in Vietnam could offer the best potential for a joint venture involving the two companies.
joint
- done with someone else ร่วมกัน
joint venture - a company or project operated and owned by tow or more companies
venture - a new activity, usually in business, which involves risk or uncertainty ธุริกิจเสี่ยงแต่สามารถทำกำไรได้
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
officer - a high level person in an organisation with special responsibilities (a government officer, a police officer, an army officer)
Chief Operating Officer (COO) -
potential - something that is possible in the future
the best potential - the best thing that is possible in the future
X offers the best potential for Y - project X is the best way to achieve Y in the future
joint venture - a company or project operated and owned by tow or more companies
venture - a new activity, usually in business, which involves risk or uncertainty ธุริกิจเสี่ยงแต่สามารถทำกำไรได้
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
officer - a high level person in an organisation with special responsibilities (a government officer, a police officer, an army officer)
Chief Operating Officer (COO) -
potential - something that is possible in the future
the best potential - the best thing that is possible in the future
X offers the best potential for Y - project X is the best way to achieve Y in the future
In addition to being keen on investing in and operating metro lines in Vietnam, BTS has been in talks with the Macau government to either develop a rail system or offer management expertise.
Earlier, BTS signed a memorandum of understanding to invest in train project in Mumbai but the project was put on hold after a terrorist attack on a Mumbai hotel in late 2008, Mr Surapong said.
keen
- very interested in activity สนใจอย่างยิ่ง, สนใจ, ใจจดใจจ่อ
expertise - special skills or knowledge from study or practical experience ความถนัด
memorandum - an informal legal agreement ข้อตกลง
put on hold - stop project (and wait for restart at some future date)
terrorist - someone who uses violence and fear in order to achieve political goals ผู้ก่อการร้าย โจรผู้ร้าย
expertise - special skills or knowledge from study or practical experience ความถนัด
memorandum - an informal legal agreement ข้อตกลง
put on hold - stop project (and wait for restart at some future date)
terrorist - someone who uses violence and fear in order to achieve political goals ผู้ก่อการร้าย โจรผู้ร้าย
In Thailand, Mr Surapong said BTS was awaiting a final decision by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for the company to operate the extended Skytrain routes to Soi Baring and Bang Wa on Phetkasem Road.
The On Nut-Baring section is scheduled to start service in August while the BMA projects the Bang Wa route to operate in 2012.
Bangkok Metropolitan
Administration (BMA) -
scheduled - planned to happen at a particular time or day ตามตารางเวลา
route - the way that planes, buses, trains, or ships travel regularly เส้นทางของรถ เรือ เครื่องบิน,etc.
scheduled - planned to happen at a particular time or day ตามตารางเวลา
route - the way that planes, buses, trains, or ships travel regularly เส้นทางของรถ เรือ เครื่องบิน,etc.
Once BTS receives the go-ahead for the Soi Baring extension, it will probably order 35 train cars within this year to expand capacity of the existing 35 3C trains in service.
Two potential suppliers for the trains are Siemens AG of Germany, which made the existing BTS trains, and CRC which just delivered its 4C trains for use on the congested Silom line.
Shares of BTS closed on Friday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 0.76, down one satang, in trade worth 665.15 million baht.
receive the go-ahead - give
permission for a project to start
Soi Baring extension - making the train tracks (train line) go farther (extension) up to Soi Baring
congested - crowded
Silom line - the train tracks on
trade - the buying and selling การค้าขาย
Soi Baring extension - making the train tracks (train line) go farther (extension) up to Soi Baring
congested - crowded
Silom line - the train tracks on
trade - the buying and selling การค้าขาย
(Source: Chinese train firm considers BTS link, Vietnam metro lines hold best potential, 28/06/2010, Nareerat Wiriyapong, link)
