Thai trains empty as travellers cancel bookings

[kiwiinasia]

I think the maintenance budget has been repairing all the mercedes benzes.

[dunque]

My personal record for Chiang Mai to Bangkok by train:

1) Children came up to visit from BKK - derailed - 6 hrs late

2) I came back from BKK from seeing them - derailed - 2 hrs wait for a bus to take us to Phrae which took another 2/3 hrs to get to CM.

So that's a 100% record - shame its a 100% derailment record not safety record. Disgrace

just as well they are fixing the tracks then

[RubbaJohnny]

Closed rail lines, closed airport runway, one of worlds highest fatality rates on the roads. It looks like Thai transport infrastructure needs very serious attention and fast, after all this is the backbone of a functioning economy. I hope it is not all blamed on bad spirits, I hope the authorities get real and spend the money to fix what so clearly needs fixing.

Dharma of course means bad luck is due to leack of merit,never mind plenty of future lives to fix

[cooked]

I wouldn't want to travel with bad spirits either.

I prefer beer myself, you aren't supposed to drink on the buses.

[mickyboy]

so these people be traveling by van and bus going on that record how many will crash as there be a lot more presure on these companies and drivers to get you there and back in half the time as anyone knows traveling in a mini bus is like a roller coaster ride you cant get out the seat quick enough so more speed more red lights more crashes more deaths and so on thats a cheerfull note NOT

[grimblegrumble]

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

Too many fat foreigners sat on the trains causing extra wear and tear on the line. Yes, it's our fault

[Rinrada]

2 trips by train from Bangers to CM earler (transporting motorbikes) and enjoyed both trips.

Bit of an old hippy party on 2 nd occasion in buffy car and ended up chatting to some very nice Japanese ladys...@ 23 years old...good stuff....Kon nee ski -wa....but they spoke Angrit...

The beer was cold,food not bad and arrived about 5-6 hours late but ..so "wat."....MPen Rai.....and I didnt see any GHOSTS

[giggles]

the network is knackered so its time for mr Hornby to bring it up to date.it will take their entire foreign currency reserves to rebuild it

[pilm]

Will this urgent repair delay their nuclear power plant even more?

[yeeowww]

Why would anyone take the train when flying is sometime cheaper than the train?

1: Locations that the train goes to.

2: No limit on baggage weight or numbers.

3: Locations of the few places you can fly from.

To name just 3

I travel by train whenever time allows.

Sure, it takes quite a bit more time but is a real hassle free mode and statistically safer by a light years than getting in any motor vehicle.

Adding to the above list, I also love:

4. zero check in hassles, waste of time

5. easy on, easy off

7. my own ice chest full of goodies

8. full reclining beds

9. interaction with interesting world travelers

10. dining car to sit and eat/drink at leisure

11. interesting ever changing landscapes and colorful towns

I'm sure I could come up with more, but these immediately come to mind.

[GAZZPA]

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

The foreigners get off scott free this time,, to quote scooby doo

"I have been pilfering cash out of the transport budget for years and I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those pesky bad spirits!"!

[Cuban]

9. interaction with interesting world travelers

I too generally like the trains, staff in IME are great and always smile at seeing a farang travelling by train.

However, the last train of the night does not carry the "interesting world travellers" but the drunken dregs of what ever area you happen to be in, there are trains that are best avoided and take your chances on the road.

[lee b]

Well here come more traffic accidents in the next month then.

[yourauntbob]

Who is the minister of transportation in Thailand? more then 100 train derailments airport problems and # 4 in the world in highway deaths. WOW this job must be run by the most incompetent person that Thailand can find. I wonder how much under the table money it cost to have this job

i hear he is calling in a bunch of big shots to conduct a ceremony to appease the malevolent spirits of the train system. Everything should be better after that.

[wilcopops]

i think the problem is that this is NOT solely a railway problem - it extends to ALL travel options in Thailand - run on the minimum amount of money, a minimum degree of infrastructure and with scant attention to health and safety - whether you travel by land sea or air in Thailand you have to regard it as potentially flawed.

...and as for spirits....my cup of contempt runneth over.....just how do they think they will look when the international travel community hears about this??????

Edited September 17, 2013 by wilcopops

[frankold]

Closed rail lines, closed airport runway, one of worlds highest fatality rates on the roads. It looks like Thai transport infrastructure needs very serious attention and fast, after all this is the backbone of a functioning economy. I hope it is not all blamed on bad spirits, I hope the authorities get real and spend the money to fix what so clearly needs fixing.

A lot of roads in BKK would be more quickly passed during rush hours if pedestrianised. And it's only set to get worse. Certain areas could already be mistaken to be inside a 'rush hour' 16hrs a day.....

[wilcopops]

Closed rail lines, closed airport runway, one of worlds highest fatality rates on the roads. It looks like Thai transport infrastructure needs very serious attention and fast, after all this is the backbone of a functioning economy. I hope it is not all blamed on bad spirits, I hope the authorities get real and spend the money to fix what so clearly needs fixing.

A lot of roads in BKK would be more quickly passed during rush hours if pedestrianised. And it's only set to get worse. Certain areas could already be mistaken to be inside a 'rush hour' 16hrs a day.....

whereas many emerging ecomonmies have invested in alternatives to road transport, Thailand stans alone in putting down more and more asphalt (and doing it badly) ands encouraging more and more road transport - in the meantime other forms of transport become decrepit and dangerous.

Edited September 17, 2013 by wilcopops

[Thai at Heart]

Can it honestly be that the network has miraculously descended into chaos in 6 months?

I knew it was bad, but there has to be some reason other than incompetence as to why this is happened. They were incompetent in the same way for the previous 40 years.

[Secondmouse]

113 derailments in 9 months and thailand has a very small network of lines. It must be dangerous to travel by train. I went to Chiang Mai by train last year, must have been lucky.

113 in 9 months ?.....if that's correct......that's definitely a "derailment hub" for Thailand....

[Pinot]

Lot of negativity here. Thailand teeters between a second and third rate country. I accept the situation and have low expectations. When they get it right and occasionally they get it right, I'm happy.

The roads are good. I went to Samui last week and the ferry system operated smoothly. The rail system may need some work.

I'm thankful the nuclear power station project didn't get off the ground.

[HaleySabai]

I wonder what is the most dangerous ... Vans on roads or Train ....

...I'd still my chances on the train...if I had to.

[Briggsy]

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.

[tinhead]

Surprised that it wasn't SRT protocol to cover up their logo after a derailment ...

[Benmart]

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. Edited September 18, 2013 by Benmart

[Benmart]

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

Too many fat foreigners sat on the trains causing extra wear and tear on the line. Yes, it's our fault

Sorry, I must have missed foreigners being blamed in the news article.

[Mister Fixit]

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

Or bad spirits ...?

[tomyummer]

Forget Disneyland! Train trips in Thailand are more realistic!

[bangon04]

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

Surely it was the Japanese who built some of the railways? Blame their shoddy workforce and poor employee motivation....

Perhaps if they just abandoned the old railway tracks and go straight to the part where the Chinese build a north south high speed rail link for them (after paying the appropriate "access fee" of course)

[rascalman]

All these derailing was bound to happen. I have ridden a few times but never again. Buses are dangerous too with speeding sleepy drivers. I pay taxi drivers to take me to Pattaya. Fly up north and hope for best. All and all not good,

[spacebass]

113 derailments in 9 months and thailand has a very small network of lines. It must be dangerous to travel by train. I went to Chiang Mai by train last year, must have been lucky.

it's not really dangerous because the trains don't go fast enough..........................