Train service to be national pride again: Govt

 

 

Theerat Rattanasewee, the government spokesman, said that the resolution was reached during a special discussion by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, some ministers and State Railway of Thailand governor Prapat Chongsanguan on a train trip to Nakhon Pathom on Thursday. 

In 2020, Thailand would be the first country in Asean to have high-speed trains, he said, which should remind the general public of the pride a century ago when Thailand's train service was the most advanced in Asia. 

While train speed will be increased, the investment will increase the connectivity with other transport infrastructure like airports and ports. The investment plans are aimed at boosting the number of train passengers, encouraging more transportation by train to reduce logistic cost. 

Under the plan, SRT will be able to serve 40 million passengers per year. The Red Line and Airport Rail Link development models will be applied to the national network, in terms of station management and services development. SRT assets like the Makkasan and riverfront land plots would be developed to clear SRT's debts, Theerat said.