Citizens complain to the Prime Minister's Office about the State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) construction of short platform roofs on the double-track railway that do not protect from sun or rain.
Source - Daily News Website
Saturday, November 23, 2024 19:27
The public has filed a complaint with the Prime Minister's Office regarding the State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) construction of short platform roofs on the double-track railway in the Northeast, specifically on the Mab Krabeau-Jira Junction line (Pak Chong Station). The complaint states that these roofs do not meet the standards for protection from sun and rain. This complaint comes as the Nakhon Ratchasima Administrative Court is in the process of hearing a case filed by citizens against the SRT for damages caused by the substandard roofs.
The SRT has submitted a statement to the court denying the allegations and claiming that they have not neglected their duties. They have requested the court to dismiss the case. However, the citizens who filed the lawsuit have submitted a counter-statement, asking the court to proceed with the case and refuting the SRT's additional arguments.
The SRT claims that the short roofs are necessary to prevent collisions, allow for smoke ventilation from diesel locomotives, and provide access for cranes in the event of an accident. They also argue that short platform roofs are common on other lines such as Mab Krabeau-Thanon Jira Junction, Nakhon Pathom-Chumphon, and Lopburi-Pak Nam Pho.
However, the plaintiffs argue that the SRT has constructed long, full-coverage platform roofs at all new stations on the Lopburi-Pak Nam Pho double-track line without any problems. This contradicts the SRT's reasoning and suggests that the complaints will not be addressed, resulting in continued inconvenience and potential misuse of budget. Photographic evidence has been submitted to support these claims.
In addition, the citizens have recently submitted a complaint about the platform roof issue to the Prime Minister's Office, which was received on October 23, 2024. The complainants state that they rely on the railway for travel and tourism from Pak Chong Station to Nakhon Ratchasima Station, Saraburi Station, and Bangkok Apiwat Station. Since the end of 2023, the SRT has demolished the old platform at Pak Chong Station to construct a new platform and building as part of the Mab Krabeau-Thanon Jira Junction double-track project. This has resulted in insufficient platform roofing, with small, spaced-out sections that do not provide adequate protection from rain or strong sunlight.
This is in contrast to the old Pak Chong Station, which had a long, continuous platform roof that extended to cover the train cars. The current design only covers up to the yellow line on the platform. Despite numerous complaints to the SRT through various channels, the issue has not been resolved.
🚇Northern line: Lopburi - Pak Nampho - 148 km at 21.5 billion Baht - Progress on Progress on 30 September 2024 Reported on 21 October 2024 🚇 :
Contract 1 Ban Klub - Khok Krathiam (Tha Wung elevated bypass) - 32 km including 29 km elevated tracks and the rest are ramps
Contractor: Unique Engineering and Construction PCL & Sino Hydro
Expected Accumulated Goal: 100% (30 September 2024)
Expected Actual Goal: 100%
Effectively Done! Lopburi 2 station Building is DONE with reddish roof tiles along with Tha Wung bypass
The platelaying along with platform roof of Lopburi 2 station is also done
Contract 2 Tha Khae - Pak Nam Pho - 116 km
Contractor: Unique Engineering and Construction PCL
Expected Accumulated Goal: 100% (30 September 2024)
Expected Actual Goal: 98.26%
Delayed planned goal by 1.74% (-1.74% progress)
Expected date to be done: December 2024
Contract 3: New Signal and telecommunication including ECTS-1 from Lopburi to Pak Nam Pho (S8 Work)
Contractor: Unique Engineering and Construction PCL & Bombardier Transportation Signal (Thailand)
Expected Accumulated Goal: 100.00% (31 August 2024)
Expected Actual Goal: 49.59%
Delayed planned goal by 50.41% (-50.41% progress)
Expected date to be done : Expected to be done at the End of 2025.
SRT Aims to Launch Northern and Northeastern Double-Track Lines by New Year
Source - Thai Post Website
Monday, November 25, 2024, 16:08
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans to open the last two sections of its Phase 1 double-track railway project as a New Year's gift. These sections are the Lopburi-Pak Nam Pho line in the north and the Mab Krabeau-Jira Junction line in the northeast. The SRT also intends to purchase 113 diesel-electric locomotives to boost freight transport.
On November 25, 2024, Mr. Wirith Amrapal, Governor of the SRT, made this announcement after welcoming the Senate Transportation Committee, led by Mr. Wuttichai Kalayanamitr. The committee visited the SRT to discuss the 2024 performance, 2025 operational plans, and progress on key SRT projects.
Currently, the SRT operates 220 passenger trains daily, divided into 146 social service trains and 74 commercial trains. In 2024, approximately 30,870,000 passengers used the service, generating over 3.9213 billion baht in revenue. Freight services operate 62 trains daily, with an increase in transport volume to 12,800,000 tons and revenue exceeding 2.1226 billion baht in 2024.
Regarding key projects, the SRT is accelerating infrastructure development to meet planned schedules, particularly the Phase 1 double-track railway project. Five out of seven routes are already operational:
1. Lopburi-Pak Nam Pho, scheduled to open during the 2025 New Year holidays as a gift to the public.
2. Mab Krabeau-Thanon Jira Junction, nearing completion and expected to open in early 2025.
Construction is underway for two new railway lines:
1. Den Chai-Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong
2. Ban Phai-Mahasarakham-Roi Et-Mukdahan-Nakhon Phanom
These lines cover a total distance of 677 km. The Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project (Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai), with a total distance of 609 km, is also being expedited. The first phase (Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima), covering 250.77 km, is expected to be operational by 2028.
To enhance its rolling stock, the SRT is pushing forward with the procurement of 113 diesel-electric locomotives and spare parts. This aims to increase the efficiency of freight services, support upcoming double-track lines, and achieve fuel savings of approximately 10-30%. The SRT is also procuring 17 battery-powered shunting locomotives to replace 60-year-old units, and 184 hybrid DEMU trains to increase commercial transport capacity on the double-track lines. Information is being gathered to present to the Budget Bureau and the Ministry of Finance for further submission to the Ministry of Transport.
Mr. Wirith added that the SRT currently earns over 3.98719 billion baht from land rental. However, after transferring all land to SRT Asset Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the SRT, he believes this will generate even more revenue. The SRT Electrified Train Co., Ltd., which operates the Red Line commuter train service with two routes (Bang Sue-Rangsit with 10 stations and Bang Sue-Taling Chan with 3 stations), has seen a significant increase in passengers due to its maximum fare policy of 20 baht. In 2024, the Red Line served over 10,602,478 passengers.
Transport Ministry Pushes for Cabinet Approval of 5 Projects Worth 109 Billion Baht by End of 2024: Motorway, Tollway Extension, and Red Line
Source - Manager Online
Thursday, November 28, 2024 12:27
The Ministry of Transport is hoping the Cabinet will approve four projects worth 109 billion baht by the end of December 2024. These include the Bang Khun Thian-Bang Bua Thong motorway, tollway extensions, and the Red Line to Thammasat University Rangsit Campus. In early 2025, nine more projects will be proposed, including expressways, motorways, double-track railways, and the second phase of the high-speed rail.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Mr. Suriya Jungrungreangkit, revealed that during the 4th meeting of the Committee for Driving and Monitoring the Implementation of Key Projects according to the Policies of the Minister of Transport and the Deputy Minister of Transport on November 26, 2024, infrastructure investment projects were reviewed. Five projects have passed the relevant agencies' considerations and are awaiting Cabinet approval, expected within December 2024.
These include:
Land Transport (2 projects):
1. Intercity Motorway No. 9 (M9), Bangkok Outer Ring Road (West) Section, Bang Khun Thian-Bang Bua Thong Elevated Road: 35.85 km, with an investment of 56.035 billion baht. This will be the first project to use the PPP Net Cost investment model where the private sector invests in civil works.
2. Intercity Motorway Extension (M5), Don Mueang Tollway, Rangsit-Bang Pa-in Section: 22 km, with an investment of 31.358 billion baht. This will be implemented under the PPP Gross Cost model, with the private sector investing in all civil construction and O&M. The Ministry of Transport had previously reconsidered the project and investment model but found the PPP Gross Cost to be the most suitable.
Rail Transport (2 projects):
1. Red Line Commuter Train System, Rangsit-Thammasat University Rangsit Center Section: 8.84 km, with an investment of 6.47398 billion baht. This will be submitted to the Cabinet to review the previous Cabinet resolution and adjust the budget.
2. Draft Act on Joint Ticket Management System: Proposed by the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), it is expected to be on the Cabinet agenda on December 3, 2024.
Air Transport (1 project):
1. Warehouse Service at Suvarnabhumi Airport for the 2nd Operator: Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) will open this project for private sector participation under the PPP Net Cost model with a total project value of 15.253 billion baht. The private sector will be responsible for financing, design, construction, machinery and equipment procurement, maintenance, and project management.
Other important issues:
* The Ministry of Transport has submitted a request to the Office of the Cabinet Secretariat to approve the criteria for calculating K Price Adjustment compensation for construction work. This seeks an exemption from the Cabinet resolution of August 22, 1989, specifically for the Red Line Commuter Train System (Bang Sue-Rangsit section) for civil works under contracts 1 and 2. It also requests approval for an additional budget for land and property expropriation for the Maeb Kabao-Thanon Chira Junction double-track railway construction project.
9 More Projects to be Proposed in Early 2025:
These include:
1. Chalong Rat Expressway - Bangkok Outer Ring Road (East) Section (formerly N2), 11.3 km, with an investment value of 16.960 billion baht.
2. Bangkok Outer Ring Road Motorway, Bang Bua Thong-Bang Pa-in Section (M9), 35 km, with a project value of 16.986 billion baht.
3. Phuket Expressway Project Phase 1, Kathu-Patong Section (Patong Tunnel Project), 3.98 km, with a value of approximately 16.190 billion baht.
4. Electric Bus Rental Project by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).
5. Review of the Cabinet resolution and request for approval to combine the Red Line Commuter Train System (Taling Chan-Salaya Section) with 3 additional stations (Rama VI Bridge Station, Bang Kruai-EGAT Station, and Ban Chim Phli Station) and the Light Red Line Commuter Train System (Taling Chan-Siriraj Section) into a single procurement contract, with a total distance of 20.5 km and a project value of 15.17621 billion baht.
6. Approval to proceed with the cooperation project between the Thai and Chinese governments to develop a high-speed rail linking the regions, Bangkok-Nong Khai Section (Phase 2, Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai), 357 km, with a value of 341.35142 billion baht.
7. Construction of Phase 2 of the double-track railway, consisting of 6 routes, with a total investment of 245.535 billion baht.
8. Approval to procure 946 freight train bogies by assembling domestic and foreign parts within the country, with a budget of 2.450 billion baht.
9. Development and management of rest areas along the expressway in the Bang Porong area.
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