Japanese Trains Left Parked, New Problem Emerges: Bogie Removal Requires Committee Supervision, Company Ready to Move within 4 Days, Prepared to Fight Fines | Daily News
Source: Daily News Website
Monday, February 24, 2025 11:52
Japanese Trains Parked Outdoors for 9 Months, President Inspects and Raises Issue: Bogie Removal Must Have Committee Supervision, State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Urgently Reviewing Legal Aspects, Company Ready to Submit 4-Day Work Plan to Avoid Fines
Daily News Innovative Transportation News Team reported that Green Generation Worldwide Co., Ltd., the contractor for transporting 11 Kiha 40 and 9 Kiha 48 diesel railcar trains, totaling 20 units, from Japan to Thailand, has prepared a work plan for removing the bogies (undercarriages) from all 20 Kiha 40/48 trains at Laem Chabang Railway Station. This plan has been submitted to the Material Inspection and Acceptance Committee of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) for consideration.
The work is expected to take 4 days, including checking the readiness of tools and equipment. The process will begin with removing equipment and connection points between the bogies and the train cars, following procedures trained by supervisors. Then, the train cars will be lifted to remove the bogies, and supports will be used to hold the train cars in place of the bogies. The bogies will then be lifted onto heavy-duty rail trucks (freight cars) and secured tightly for transport to the SRT's Makkasan Factory to adjust the wheel axle width from 1.067 meters to 1 meter. Detached components of each car will be packed into boxes and stored inside each respective car, with a detailed inventory recorded.
Initially, SRT estimates that adjusting the wheel axle width will take approximately 25 days. Upon completion, the contractor must return the bogies to Laem Chabang Railway Station for re-attachment to the train cars before transporting them back to Makkasan Factory by rail for the train refurbishment process. The first train is expected to be completed and gradually brought into public service within 2025. SRT has not yet officially requested Green Generation Co., Ltd. to submit the work plan for the Material Inspection and Acceptance Committee's consideration.
It is anticipated that the process is waiting for the completion of the appointment of a work supervision committee, as noted by the Chairman of the Inspection and Acceptance Committee, recently appointed by the SRT Governor. SRT is urgently discussing legal aspects to determine if appointing such a committee is feasible or conflicts with the Terms of Reference (TOR). If permissible, a proposal will be submitted to the SRT Governor for signing and appointment of the work supervision committee to oversee the bogie removal from the train cars. A conclusion is expected soon.
Green Generation Co., Ltd. stated in an interview with Daily News Innovative Transportation News Team that whether or not a work supervision committee is established, it will not affect their work. The company's role is solely to remove the bogies from the train cars. Company representatives added they have previously sent engineers to Japan to JR EAST to train on the procedures for separating the train cars and bogies. The company is ready to work to deliver the final phase of the project. The contract has now expired, and if fines are incurred, the company is prepared to fight them and is confident in their ability to succeed in any legal challenge.
These trains were received from JR East (East Japan Railway Company), a railway company in Japan. SRT contracted Green Generation Co., Ltd. for 48.6 million baht to transport them from Niigata Port, Japan. They arrived at Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi Province on June 2, 2024, and have been parked outdoors at Laem Chabang Railway Station for nearly 9 months due to issues between the transporter and SRT.
Most recently, Mr. Weeris Ammapal, Governor of SRT, stated in an interview that this issue occurred before he assumed his position, but he has expedited the inspection and solution finding process. Recently, he appointed a chairman to consider the inspection and acceptance, but it will take time to thoroughly examine the details.
อย่างไรก็นามที่ผ่านมา ประเทศญี่ปุ่นได้มอบขบวนรถโดยสารให้กับประเทศไทยโดยไม่เสียค่าใช้จ่าย ตั้งแต่ปี 2540 เป็นต้นมา รวมแล้วทั้งสิ้น จำนวน 5 ครั้ง จากทั้งบริษัท JR West และ JR Hokkaido โดยครั้งนี้นับเป็นครั้งที่ 6 และเป็นครั้งแรกที่การรถไฟฯ ได้รับขบวนรถโดยสารจากบริษัท JR EAST เพื่อนำมาปรับปรุงและใช้ในกิจการรถไฟเพื่ออำนวยความสะดวกในการเดินทางแก่ประชาชน
ที่ผ่านมา ประเทศญี่ปุ่นได้มอบขบวนรถโดยสารให้กับประเทศไทยโดยไม่เสียค่าใช้จ่าย ตั้งแต่ปี 2540 เป็นต้นมา รวมแล้วทั้งสิ้น จำนวน 5 ครั้ง จากทั้งบริษัท JR West และ JR Hokkaido โดยครั้งนี้นับเป็นครั้งที่ 6 และเป็นครั้งแรกที่การรถไฟฯ ได้รับขบวนรถโดยสารจากบริษัท JR EAST เพื่อนำมาปรับปรุงและใช้ในกิจการรถไฟเพื่ออำนวยความสะดวกในการเดินทางแก่ประชาชน
East Japan Railway has donated 20 KiHa diesel railcars to State Railway of Thailand (SRT) which will be deployed on Bangkok commuter services.
JR East donates rolling stock to Thailand
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will deploy 20 KiHa diesel railcars.
Two KiHa 48 railcars operating in multiple.
Photo Credit: Maeda Akihiko/Wikimedia Commons
EAST Japan Railway (JR East) has donated 20 KiHa diesel railcars to State Railway of Thailand (SRT), which following refurbishment will be deployed on Bangkok commuter services. The first six cars are expected to enter service later this year.
JR East has donated nine KiHA 40 cars, which have a total of 65 seats and have a cab and passenger toilet at both ends of the vehicle. It is also supplying SRT with 11 KiHa 48 cars, with a single cab and 82 seats.
Following systems tests at Makkasan in June, the railcars will be modified from the Japanese 1067mm gauge to the 1000mm gauge of the SRT network, and will then be sent to Laem Chabang for a cab refit.
The KiHA cars will then return to Makkasan for refurbishment, followed by an overall inspection including bogies, power, transmission and braking systems, as well as engine maintenance. This work will take around 60 days to complete.
The refurbished railcars will undergo performance tests to check their acceleration and braking, with onboard vibration to be monitored and the performance of the air-conditioning system verified. They will then be repainted and their toilets refurbished.
A total of 888 KiHa diesel railcars were built for Japanese railways by Fuji Heavy Industries and Niigata between 1977 and 1983. SRT has previously received five batches of second-hand rolling stock from JR West and JR Hokkaido, the latter including 17 KiHa 183 cars, but this its first donation from JR East.
JR Hokkaido has also donated or sold KiHa 183 cars to Cambodias Royal Railway, Myanmar Railways, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Kiha 40/48 Wheel Adjustment to 1 Meter Completed
Source - Daily News
Monday, April 28, 2025 07:36
Returning for Assembly - Transformation
Committee to Inspect and Hold Accountable for Delays
Mr. Veeris Ammarapala, Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), gave an interview to the "Daily News Transportation Innovation Team" stating that the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Makkasan Factory of the SRT has now completed the adjustment of the wheel axle width of 11 Kiha 40 air-conditioned diesel railcars and 9 Kiha 48 railcars, totaling 20 cars, from 1.067 meters (Japanese standard) to 1 meter (Thai standard). This involved a total of 160 wheels. It is expected that in early May 2025, the bogies will be transported back to Green Generation Worldwide Co., Ltd. (GGW), the contractor responsible for transporting the train cars from Japan to Thailand, for assembly with the car bodies at Laem Chabang Railway Station.
Mr. Veeris Ammarapala continued that the process of assembling the bogies to the car bodies will not take long. Once completed, the contractor will submit the final work installment to the SRT for further improvement of the trainsets. All the trainsets will be returned to the Makkasan Factory by rail to undergo inspection of various systems, such as the undercarriage, power transmission, braking system, and engine maintenance. Then, around the end of June 2025, the trains will be test-run to check engineering aspects such as acceleration, braking distance, mechanical vibration, and the air conditioning system.
After the testing is complete, the exterior paint will be refurbished, as it has reached the end of its service life since being painted in Japan. Normally, repainting is done every 6 years. The decision on whether to use the original colors or new colors is still under consideration, but there is a desire to have colors that represent the SRT's identity, such as maroon, white, and yellow. Additionally, the toilets will be renovated from squat-style to seated toilets. The SRT plans to complete the renovation of approximately 6 cars within 2025, and by the end of 2025, these will be put into service as suburban diesel railcar passenger trains (Feeder) on the Bangkok-Ayutthaya, Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom, and Bangkok-Chachoengsao routes. The fares are still under consideration.
When asked about the consideration of penalties for the private company's delayed delivery, Mr. Veeris Ammarapala stated that the inspection committee is preparing to meet, which will happen after the inspection process is complete. The penalty rate will be calculated according to the contract signed with Green Generation Co., Ltd.
The Kiha 40 and Kiha 48 diesel railcars were decommissioned by JR East in early 2023. Although they have been in service for approximately 40 years, they are still in good condition and can be used for another 10-15 years if regularly maintained. The Kiha 40 has 68 seats, and the Kiha 48 has 82 seats, excluding standing passengers. Each seat has a straight back and does not recline like those in third-class carriages. There are both facing seats and long bench seats. The toilets are a closed system (not discharging onto the tracks) and the maximum speed is approximately 95 km/h.
Source: Daily News Newspaper, April 29, 2025 issue (Afternoon Edition)
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