120km cable car for Chiang Mai

A cable car style project has been proposed in order to bypass 1,000 curves on the route between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.

The project, proposed by a foreign investor, is to build a 120-km-long cable car system from Chiang Mai to Pai, the top tourist destination in Mae Hong Son, and to the town of Mae Hong Son, the provincial governor Direk Konkleep revealed in a local radio broadcast yesterday.

"The province is a popular tourist destination, but transportation is too inconvenient. This project would help tourists and be good for the province's economy," Direk said.

The system would transfer passengers to Mae Hong Son town with a fare of Bt500-700 per person. If approved, the construction would be started this year and take three years to finish. The investor is sending engineers to survey the route this week, Direk said.

"We are making the improvement of transportation a high priority because tourism in the province is growing as is cross-border trade."

Poonsak Soonthornpinijkij, president of the Mae Hong Son Chamber of Commerce said he agreed with the idea, as it would ease transport problems in the province.

However, the project has to be eco-friendly so that it does not have any harmful effects on the environment and natural surroundings.

"If the benefits exceed any drawbacks, I will support the project."

Visutr Buachum, head of Mae Hong Son's tourism coordination centre, also supported the idea, saying that it would attract moretourists to the province as cable cars would be a better way to transfer passengers than for them to travel by aeroplane.

Previously, the province, together with the Highways Department, had pushed for the construction of a 175-km-long road between Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai Samoeng. But the project did not materialise because a study found the project would cost around Bt15 billion.

Another plan to build a cable-car system to the Phu Kradung plateau in Loei caused some controversy when local conservationists protested against it.

The Nation