Thai trains empty as travellers cancel bookings

[Yunla]

Its actually sickening to think the Govt has been spending their time and money on so many trivial things while the Thai railway system is in such a dangerous state. Surely rail and road safety, which saves lives, should have been top of the list instead of all that other stuff PTP have been up to these last years. Its totally bizarre, it never ceases to make me catch my breath in surprise.

[baboon]

Its actually sickening to think the Govt has been spending their time and money on so many trivial things while the Thai railway system is in such a dangerous state. Surely rail and road safety, which saves lives, should have been top of the list instead of all that other stuff PTP have been up to these last years. Its totally bizarre, it never ceases to make me catch my breath in surprise.

The railway has been rickety for a substantial length of time. Don't bring politics into it unless you are condemning all administrations for at least the past 20 years.

[hellodolly]

The country is a joke.

Specifics please. It helps understand what you are referring to since many of us may not have an inside track on evey issue and may have missed something. Thanks.

I really don't like that old childhood saying of it takes one to know one but there are times.

[hellodolly]

As I always say on these threads, there is and has been for a very long time a concerted effort by certain parties to stymie any improvement in national rail services.

Who would gain from this?

Inter-city bus operators. Domestic airlines. Taxi co-operatives, Yes, yes and yes. But front and centre are the road haulage firms. Thailand carries almost all of its freight by road and virtually nothing by rail. Who owns these firms? Politicians and their friends. Who owns the railways? The state. That's why it is how it is.

Until the Chinese come in and build the lines themselves. Coming soon to a Thailand near you.

Another conspiracy theorist.

Just in passing those companies have been around longer than the current bunch of politicians.

The fault is directly related to the government prioratizing money to graft and policies aimed at getting votes and in the long run just costing the country more money. Those politicians are getting rich off of graft not honest work.

[MAJIC]

Is it the photograph,or do those sleepers look rotten as a pear?

[MAJIC]

Looks like years of neglect, mismanagement and fraud are finally catching up. The question now becomes how can they blame this on the foreigners?

Overcrowding?

[yeeowww]

Its actually sickening to think the Govt has been spending their time and money on so many trivial things while the Thai railway system is in such a dangerous state. Surely rail and road safety, which saves lives, should have been top of the list instead of all that other stuff PTP have been up to these last years. Its totally bizarre, it never ceases to make me catch my breath in surprise.

The railway has been rickety for a substantial length of time. Don't bring politics into it unless you are condemning all administrations for at least the past 20 years.

One could easily blame past administrations but it's a moot point. This is now a current issue and PTP is the CURRENT administration, so regardless of any others' neglect, why the hell isn't PTP doing something about the problem?! But we all know the answer to that...

[MESmith]

Update on track upgrade.

They've been replacing the old, rotten wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers.

This picture taken today, just south of Saraphee station, close to Chiang Mai.

Interestingly, the stone foundation for the track has been widened, possibly for double track?

Edited October 24, 2013 by MESmith