Replacing 3rd Class Train Fans with Air Conditioning Source - Daily News, Monday, July 08, 2024 05:02
Bidding for the first lot of 130 carriages, cooler but 8 baht/km more expensive
Mr. Surapong Piyachot, Deputy Minister of Transport, revealed that the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is preparing to hire contractors to upgrade 130 3rd class train carriages from fan-cooled to air-conditioned, at an average cost of about 6 million baht per carriage, totaling approximately 780 million baht. This aims to improve service quality and provide better access to services for the public. The project is divided into 2 phases:
Phase 1: Starting in 2024, 40 carriages will be upgraded with a budget of 240 million baht, to be completed and ready for service in 2025.
Phase 2: In 2025, 90 carriages will be upgraded with a budget of 540 million baht, to be completed in 2026.
After that, the remaining carriages will be gradually upgraded until all are complete. Currently, SRT has about 300-400 3rd class carriages.
Mr. Surapong further stated that there are two types of passenger train services, totaling 35 million seats:
1. Commercial trains: About 9 million seats, with passenger demand exceeding capacity, not including many advance bookings, totaling about 18 million seats in demand.
2. Social trains: About 26 million seats available, but only about 18.6 million seats occupied, not yet at full capacity.
SRT is therefore converting some social train carriages to commercial ones. The first lot of 130 upgraded carriages will provide an additional 3.2 million seats, bringing the total to 12.2 million seats.
Mr. Surapong acknowledged that some passengers who used to ride fan-cooled trains at very low fares might have to pay more (fan-cooled trains start at 2 baht, air-conditioned trains start at 20 baht, calculated by distance). This especially affects vulnerable groups. SRT and the government will need to find additional ways to support these passengers beyond the existing state welfare card benefits, to increase access to air-conditioned train services for all passenger groups.
He emphasized to SRT that the carriage upgrades must not affect public services, and sufficient train services must be allocated.
Source: Daily News, July 9, 2024 edition (afternoon frame)
SRT upgrades first batch of 130 3rd class train carriages with air conditioning, converting to commercial trains at 6 million baht per carriage
Source - Manager Daily 360°, Monday, July 08, 2024 04:52
Manager Daily 360° - The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is pushing forward with upgrading the first batch of 130 3rd class train carriages with air conditioning to improve services. This year, they will pilot 40 carriages, with another 90 carriages in 2025, at an average budget of 6 million baht per carriage. "Surapong" reveals that demand for commercial trains exceeds capacity, necessitating expansion. He insists that non-air-conditioned trains must be phased out, while assuring that the government will support vulnerable groups to use the service as usual through welfare cards.
Mr. Surapong Piyachot, Deputy Minister of Transport, disclosed plans to upgrade train services, saying that SRT is preparing to upgrade 3rd class train services. The concept is to convert all 3rd class carriages to air-conditioned ones and improve seat comfort. Currently, train services are divided into social service trains, with about 300-400 carriages capable of serving 26 million seats/year, but only 18.6 million passengers use them annually. Commercial service trains can only provide 9 million seats per year, which are fully occupied with an additional demand of about 9 million seats. This data shows that there is still a large number of people waiting to use commercial train services, but SRT doesn't have enough trains to meet the demand.
The current policy instructs SRT to upgrade all 3rd class trains to air-conditioned ones gradually. The increased fares will follow commercial service regulations, with the government supporting vulnerable groups to use the service as usual through welfare cards, while the public receives better service.
"In the past, we never worked analytically, but this time we conducted surveys and analyzed the numbers, revealing that there's a demand for about 9 million more commercial train seats per year. Therefore, our goal is to increase commercial train services to accommodate an additional 9 million seats to meet current travel demands. The ultimate goal is for Thai trains to no longer have non-air-conditioned carriages," said Mr. Surapong.
Mr. Aviruth Thongnet, Deputy Governor of SRT, said that SRT has set a plan to upgrade 3rd class (fan-cooled) passenger carriages and has already begun implementation. They are in the procurement process to upgrade about 40 carriages using the 2024 budget, and in 2025, they will gradually upgrade about 90 more carriages, totaling about 130 carriages in the first batch. This process requires removing carriages from service for upgrades without affecting public services. If they can upgrade these 130 3rd class carriages to commercial trains, it will add about 3.2 million seats per year. The average cost for upgrading seats and installing air conditioning systems is about 6 million baht per carriage.
Source: Manager Daily 360° newspaper, July 8, 2024 edition
All Fan-Coach Trains to Be Replaced with Air-Conditioned Coaches, 400 Units in Total
Source: Daily News
Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 04:02
Fare to Remain the Same
As part of two flagship transport policies, on September 10, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, along with Deputy Ministers Manaporn Charoensri and Surapong Piyachote from the Pheu Thai Party, officially assumed their roles at the Ministry of Transport. Suriya stated that the government would push for the development of transportation and infrastructure to enhance public services, improve travel convenience, and support Thailand's sustainable and tangible economic growth across land, rail, water, and air. This aligns with the governments policy to ensure the well-being of all citizens. Following the governments policy statement to Parliament, the Ministry of Transport is set to propose nine major projects to the Cabinet at its first meeting, three of which have a combined budget of 109 billion baht. These include:
1. Motorway M9 (Western Outer Ring Road) from Bang Khun Thian to Bang Bua Thong (38 km, 56.035 billion baht) and from Bang Bua Thong to Bang Pa-in (34.1 km, 15.26 billion baht).
2. Motorway M5 (Elevated Uttrapimuk Route) from Rangsit to Bang Pa-in (22 km, 31.358 billion baht).
3. The Red Line electric train from Rangsit to Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus (8.84 km, 6.473 billion baht).
Six other projects related to financing and management are also proposed, including loans for the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), expropriation funds for the Northeastern double-track railway project, and management plans for various airports and ports. Other projects, such as the second phase of double-track railways, will be presented to the Cabinet in due course.
Suriya confirmed that all projects in Pheu Thai's campaign promises would continue, especially the flat-rate 20-baht fare for electric trains and the conversion of third-class fan-coach trains into air-conditioned ones. This is an urgent priority due to Thailands hot climate, ensuring equal access to air-conditioned transportation for all passengers. Additionally, new train carriages will be procured to support the upcoming double-track railway services.
Surapong stated that he had ordered the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to expedite the conversion of fan-coach trains to air-conditioned ones by the end of 2024, ahead of the original 2025 plan, with at least 100 trains being ready for service. Despite these improvements, fares will remain the same to ensure accessibility for all passengers. The plan to convert 130 third-class coaches into air-conditioned ones will cost 780 million baht, with each carriage costing an average of 6 million baht. The project will be completed in two phases: 40 coaches by 2024 (240 million baht) and 90 coaches by 2025 (540 million baht), with the remaining third-class coaches (approximately 300-400 units) to be upgraded later.
Source: Daily News, September 12, 2024 (Afternoon Edition)
September 22nd Only! Trial of Air-Conditioned 3rd Class Train from Bangkok Apiwat Central Station to Chiang Mai for only 330 Baht
Manager Online, September 22nd, 2023, 11:27 AM
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is preparing to trial an air-conditioned 3rd class coach (BCHS.Po.88) with 88 seats, attached to Rapid Train No. 109 from Bangkok Apiwat Central Station to Chiang Mai today. The train departs from Bangkok Apiwat Central Station at 2:15 PM and arrives at Chiang Mai Railway Station at 4:05 AM tomorrow (September 23rd).
For the return trip, the air-conditioned coach will be attached to Rapid Train No. 102 from Chiang Mai to Bangkok Apiwat Central Station tomorrow (September 23rd). The train departs from Chiang Mai Station at 6:30 AM and arrives at Bangkok Apiwat Central Station at 8:25 PM on the same day. Tickets can be booked through the D-Ticket application of the State Railway of Thailand only for the specified date and time.
The fare for the air-conditioned 3rd class coach from Bangkok Apiwat Central Station to Chiang Mai is 330 Baht, which is different from the fan-cooled 3rd class coach (BCHS.76) with 76 seats, which costs 230 Baht, or a difference of 100 Baht.
Previously, the State Railway of Thailand had a plan to gradually upgrade 3rd class coaches to air-conditioned ones. In the fiscal year 2024, they procured and contracted for the renovation of approximately 40 coaches, and in the fiscal year 2025, they plan to procure and contract for the renovation of approximately 90 coaches, totaling 130 coaches. The average cost of renovation, including seat replacement and air conditioning installation, is approximately 6 million Baht per coach.
However, currently, there are 2 trains with air-conditioned 3rd class coaches (BCHS.Po.) in service: Ordinary Train No. 371 from Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) to Prachinburi and Ordinary Train No. 372 from Prachinburi to Bangkok (Hua Lamphong). The fare is 86 Baht, and tickets are available for purchase approximately 1 hour before departure. If boarding from intermediate stops such as Phaya Thai, Asoke, or Sukhumvit 71, tickets can be purchased directly from the train staff.
When it comes to the train car that causes the most losses for the railway, it's definitely the third-class car. Every time you sit in it, it's hot, smelly with smoke, and your head feels sticky.
In this episode, we'll take a look at how the State Railway of Thailand is adding value by installing air conditioning and increasing fares.
Actually, air-conditioned third-class cars are not new at all. The first set of 5 cars was modified 30 years ago.
For this round, they've brought an Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage to be tested in the rapid train 109/102 to see how popular it is with passengers. This information will be used to build more new cars.
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