State Railway of Thailand

State Railway of Thailand (SRT)
Locale	Thailand
Dates of operation	1890–present
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) (Metre gauge)
Length	4,070 km
Headquarters	Bangkok

The State Railway of Thailand (Thai: การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย) is the state-owned rail operator of Thailand. The network sees around 50 million passengers per annum.

[edit] History

SRT was founded as the Royal State Railways of Siam (RSR) in 1890. Construction of the Bangkok-Ayutthaya railway (71 km), the first part of the Northern Line, was started in 1891 and completed on May 23, 1892. The Thonburi-Phetchaburi line (150 km), later the Southern Line, was opened on June 19, 1903.

The Northern Line was originally built as standard gauge, but in September 1919 it was decided to standardize on meter gauge and the Northern Line was regauged during the next ten years. On July 1, 1951, RSR changed its name to the present State Railway of Thailand.

In 2005 SRT had 4,070 km of track, all of it meter gauge. Nearly all is single-track, although some important sections around Bangkok are double or triple-tracked and there are plans to extend this.

[edit] Main Stations

A SRT's Alsthom built locomotive

Hua Lamphong or Krungthep Station is the main terminus of all routes and start in Bangkok, Phahonyothin and ICD Ladkrabang is the main freight terminal.

[edit] Northern Line

• Bangsue Junction - The largest freight yard in Thailand and hence the main freight terminal. It is also a locomotive depot.
• Ayutthaya Station - Northern Bangkok Suburb station - with very high passenger revenue, seconded only Bangkok station.
• Ban Phachi Junction - A major junction, where the Northern and Northeastern lines separate.
• Lop Buri Station - the end of Northern BKK Suburb line at Military town.
• Nakhon Sawan Station - formerly called as Nong Pling station until 1956.
• Phitsanulok Station - provincial station
• Ban Dara Junction - Junction to Sawankhaloke line
• Sila At Station - Depot on the Northern Line. Refueling station and up trains will be cut at this station
• Denchai Station - the dropping point for Phrae with a proposal for a junction for Denchai - Chiang Rai route
• Nakhon Lampang Station - Depot on the Northern Line. Train will be cut further if going North to Chiang Mai.
• Chiang Mai Station - Terminus.

[edit] Northeastern Line

• Saraburi Station - Provincial station, former name is Pak priaw station until 1934.
• Kaeng Khoi Junction - The Bua Yai Line and Khlong Sip Kao line diverge from the mainline here. Main Depot with refueling facility.
• Pak Chong Station
• Nakhon Ratchasima Station - Main depot of the Northeastern Line with refueling facility and a branch line to 2nd Army Support Command.
• Thanon Chira Junction - Junction for Nong Khai Route.
• Buri Ram Station - provincial station with a branch line for Quarry at Khao Kradong
• Surin Station - provincial station
• Si Sa Ket Station - provincial station
• Ubon Ratchathani Station - Terminus of South Isaan Line (AKA Ubon Line) with Depot and refueling facility. Formerly called as "Varindr station" until 1942-1943.
• Bua Yai Junction - junction with refueling facility
• Khon Kaen Station - provincial station
• Udon Thani Station - provincial station with refueling facility.
• Nong Khai Station - Terminus of North Isaan Line (AKA Nong Khai Line), provides a connection to Laos

[edit] Eastern Line

On local trains, several cars may be reserved for schoolchildren transportation, much like a school bus elsewhere. Here, children boarding a Pattaya-Bangkok train at an improvised between-stations stop

• Makkasan Station - the main depot of SRT (Makkasan Works) and future City Air Terminal Station for Suvarnabhumi Airport Express Train.
• Huamak Station
• Hua Ta Khe Station - Junction to ICD.
• Chachoeng Sao Junction - Junction to Laem Chabang and Aranyapradesh Line.
• Aranyapradesh Station - Terminus of North Eastern Line.
• Si Racha Junction - Junction for Laem Chabang Deep Sea Port.
• Mab Taphud Station - Terminus of East Coast Line.

[edit] Western Line

• Thon Buri Station - Terminus of Western Line
• Taling Chan Station - Junction of Bangsue - Taling Chan link The connection between south and north SRT systems opened with the building of the only rail bridge across the Chao Phraya River in the 1920s.
• Nakhon Pathom Station
• Nong Pla Duk Junction - Junction for Suphanburi and Kanchanaburi.
• Suphanburi Station - A 2 car DMU operates to Bangkok in the early morning and from Bangkok in the evening.
• Kanchanaburi Station
• Namtok Station - Terminus of Western Line.

[edit] Southern Line

• Bang Sue Junction - Main junction and Cargo terminal with main Diesel Locomotive Depot and Refueling facility
• Thon Buri Station - Former terminus of Southern Line.
• Nakhon Pathom Station - main Southern suburb station
• Hua Hin Station - station with Beautiful Architecture, changing crew station
• Chumphon Station - Depot with refueling facility
• Ban Thung Pho Junction - Southern Container Yard and Khiri Ratthanikhom Branch.
• Surat Thani Station - changing crew station
• Thung Song Junction - Depot, refueling facility and junction for Kantang Branch.
• Kantang Station - Terminus of Kantang Branch.
• Khao Chumthong Junction - Junction for Nakhon Si Thammarat Branch.
• Nakhon Si Thammarat Station - Terminus of Nakhon Si Thammarat Branch.
• Patthalung Station - Provincial station, changing crew station
• Hat Yai Junction - Main junction in Southern Line, Depot and refueling facility
• Padang Besar Station - International station for connections to Malaysia. KTMB is the caretaker for this station since it is in Malaysia.
• Pattani Station - former Khok Pho station - the dropping point for Pattani
• Yala Station - changing crew station
• Tanyong Mas station - dropping point for Ra Nga district and Narathiwat
• Sungai Kolok Station - Terminus of Southern Line. Used to be another International station until the termination of cross border services.

[edit] International services

SRT operates international services to Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia, in conjunction with Malaysian state operator KTM.

A link to Vientiane, Laos across the Friendship Bridge is in the final stages of construction, with opening scheduled in May 2008.^[1] The current terminus of the line is Nong Khai.

There are also plans to re-open rail links to Cambodia via Poipet from the railhead at Aranyaprathet. Railway connections to Myanmar (Burma), notably the infamous Death Railway, are now defunct.

[edit] Intercity services

SRT operates intercity passenger services on the following lines in Thailand:

[edit] Northern Line

Other Article : Express Nakhonphink

• Bangkok-Ayutthaya-Lopburi-Nakhon Sawan-Phitsanulok-Lampang-Chiang Mai

[edit] Northeastern Line

• Bangkok-Ayutthaya-Saraburi-Nakhon Ratchasima-Khon Kaen-Udon Thani-Nong Khai
• Bangkok-Ayutthaya-Saraburi-Nakhon Ratchasima-Buriram-Surin-Sisaket-Ubon Ratchathani

[edit] Eastern Line

• Bangkok-Chachoengsao-Prachinburi-Kabin Buri-Sa Kaeo-Aranyaprathet
• Bangkok-Chachoengsao-Chon Buri-Pattaya-Ban Phlu Ta Luang

[edit] Southern Line

Other Article : International Express, Thaksin Express

• Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin-Surat Thani-Hat Yai-Butterworth (Malaysia)(International Express)
• Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin-Surat Thani-Hat Yai-Sungei Kolok
• Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin-Surat Thani-Thung Song-Nakhon Si Thammarat
• Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin-Surat Thani-Thung Song-Kantang
• Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom-Kanchanaburi-Nam Tok

[edit] Other services

SRT also operates some commuter services around Bangkok.

SRT is building and may operate the Suvarnabhumi Airport Link to Suvarnabhumi Airport, scheduled to open in 2008. It is proposed to be medium speed (160 km/h) and link with BTS at Phaya Thai and MRT at Petchaburi, in addition to a new transit center planned at Makkasan and Bang Sue for the SRT Lines.

[edit] See also

• Bangkok Metro
• Bangkok Skytrain
• SRT Lines
• Suvarnabhumi Airport Link
• List of rapid transit systems
• Trans-Asian Railway

[edit] References

1. ^ "Laos link launched", Railway Gazette International (2007-03-01). 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

State Railway of Thailand

• State Railway of Thailand
• 2Bangkok: Thai Railway
• How to travel by train in Thailand
• The biggest Thailand Railway fan community
• Thai Train simulator
• Thai Mass Transport Systems (Photo blog/enthusiast site)