Posh new rail cars roll

BANGKOK, 27 October 2016: Posh overnight trains are due to roll out, early November, on lines to destinations in north and northeast Thailand.

Khaosod Daily ran details of the new service, Wednesday, with photos of the new trains that are a vast improvement on standard rolling stock offered by the State Railway of Thailand.

The Special Express Train routes link the capital with Chiang Mai in the North and Ubon Ratchathani in Northeast Thailand.

The first services depart Bangkok 11 November and   tickets are now on sale the State Railway of Thailand announced Wednesday.

The new cars will also be used to serve Nong Khai on the border with Laos and to Hat Yai in the south effective 2 December.

According to Khaosod, single fares range from THB700 to THB1,600 depending on the route, class of car and position of the sleeper seat.

It might be a case of too little, too late for SRT that has delivered dismal service and poor facilities for decades at fares that fail to complete with low-cost airlines.  The fares on the new train services are cheaper than what low-cost airlines offer by around  THB500 to THB800, but the time spent on the train is still 12 hours, about the same as a bus trip. It is highly unlikely that the train services will challenge the grip low-cost airlines have on the market.

SRT spent an estimated THB4 billion baht to secure 115 Chinese-made carriages.

They have been used for trial runs since July.

Seats have a USB charging socket and LCD screen offering entertainment in Thai language.

Instead of the standard diesel-electric locomotives, the new trains are driven by “powered” cars that consume less fuel.

Toilets are similar to what airlines offer with built in chemical tanks. This is a big improvement on other trains in Thailand that have simple stainless steel toilet bowls that flush waste directly on to the railway track.

The cars are also equipped with security cameras, and have lifts to raise wheelchairs from the platform to the cars.

Conductors and other train staff will wear bright red uniforms similar to what airline cabin staff wear.

sourced:ttrweekly.com