Hua Lampong railway station is 100-years-old today

[rooster59]

Hua Lampong railway station is 100-years-old today

BANGKOK: The State Railways of Thailand held a grand celebration today to mark the 100th anniversary of the Bangkok Railway Station with several traditional activities, folk plays, musics and exhibition, to herald the rail service that was introduced first into the country by King Rama V.

Beating the bell to declare the opening of the colourful celebration to mark the country’s first and oldest station well-known locally as Hua Lampong was the deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusriphitak.

In the opening speech, Dr Somkid said Hua Lampong station has been tied to Thai way of lives for a very long time until today.

It was the starting place where development, ways of lives, economy, occupation and culture were brought to various communities, he said.

Participants to the opening ceremony were clad in the Thai traditional dresses as the SRT governor said this would reminisce the glorious past of the rail service introduced to the country a hundred years ago.

Apart from lively activities at the station, steam locomotives are also exhibited for the young generation to see and experience, as well as booths selling local products at low prices.

Thailand Post also has a kiosk to sell commemorative stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of the station.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/hua-lampong-railway-station-100-years-old-today/

-- Thai PBS 2016-06-26

[poohy]

And some of the trains are not far behind!

[ratcatcher]

Apart from lively activities at the station, steam locomotives are also exhibited for the young generation to see and experience,..."

In the U.K. there are dozens of heritage railways operating steam trains over hundreds of miles of track through some of the most scenic areas in the British Isles. This brings in a huge amount of tourist revenue, both domestic and foreign.

Since Thailand is still operating heritage trains, maybe they can preserve some of the locomotives in operating condition (I am aware there are several) and keep some of the rolling stock when the new trains arrive. They already have a huge stock of vintage equipment, silently rusting away on overgrown tracks in Bangkok. I suppose the tourist trains to Sai Yok in Kanchanaburi via the Kwai Bridge are a good example of this.

[jackinthebox]

I wouldn't be too proud of it honestly. While the building is nice and surely was a symbol of progress and a modern railway a century ago, it is today a symbol for a poor and corrupt state-run comapany. Hua Lamphong is always the terminal for a slow, boring and bumpy ride upcountry. The whole railway system is completely rotten and that is why 80-90% of interprovincial transportion is NOT rail-bound but made on roads.

Thailand should have modernized it's train-system half a century ago. Now it's completely outdated. And it is (one of) the reason(s) why thousands of people loose their lives in traffic accidents and on crashing overland-buses

[Wilsonandson]

[Mook23]

And some of the trains are not far behind!

and the mentality of the Thai administration/rulers is 350 years old today! Good old feudal times 55555555

[halloween]

Apart from lively activities at the station, steam locomotives are also exhibited for the young generation to see and experience,..."

In the U.K. there are dozens of heritage railways operating steam trains over hundreds of miles of track through some of the most scenic areas in the British Isles. This brings in a huge amount of tourist revenue, both domestic and foreign.

Since Thailand is still operating heritage trains, maybe they can preserve some of the locomotives in operating condition (I am aware there are several) and keep some of the rolling stock when the new trains arrive. They already have a huge stock of vintage equipment, silently rusting away on overgrown tracks in Bangkok. I suppose the tourist trains to Sai Yok in Kanchanaburi via the Kwai Bridge are a good example of this.

FYI http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/steam-trains.htm#promo

[Prbkk]

I wouldn't be too proud of it honestly. While the building is nice and surely was a symbol of progress and a modern railway a century ago, it is today a symbol for a poor and corrupt state-run comapany. Hua Lamphong is always the terminal for a slow, boring and bumpy ride upcountry. The whole railway system is completely rotten and that is why 80-90% of interprovincial transportion is NOT rail-bound but made on roads.

Thailand should have modernized it's train-system half a century ago. Now it's completely outdated. And it is (one of) the reason(s) why thousands of people loose their lives in traffic accidents and on crashing overland-buses

Indeed, but it doesn't have to be that way. With some sympathetic modernisation and renovation it could be quite beautiful again: it is one of the most significant buildings in Bangkok and it should be a centre of activity rather than the drab and dreary place it's become.

It used to be a central place back in the day, not so long ago, when people still used trains. I hope that day will come again for Thailand and for the millions of visitors who would be attracted by a safe and efficient rail network.

There is nothing like a good train journey.

[ramrod711]

In the opening speech, Dr Somkid said Hua Lampong station has been tied to Thai way of lives for a very long time until today.

I'm guessing 100 years.

[sahibji]

congratulations.

this is a building to be proud of.

what ever improvements are made to the railway system (and they need to be made)

keep the grand lady intact.

it is not the fault of the building that the development of the railway system has lagged.

[jackinthebox]

I wouldn't be too proud of it honestly. While the building is nice and surely was a symbol of progress and a modern railway a century ago, it is today a symbol for a poor and corrupt state-run comapany. Hua Lamphong is always the terminal for a slow, boring and bumpy ride upcountry. The whole railway system is completely rotten and that is why 80-90% of interprovincial transportion is NOT rail-bound but made on roads.

Thailand should have modernized it's train-system half a century ago. Now it's completely outdated. And it is (one of) the reason(s) why thousands of people loose their lives in traffic accidents and on crashing overland-buses

Indeed, but it doesn't have to be that way. With some sympathetic modernisation and renovation it could be quite beautiful again: it is one of the most significant buildings in Bangkok and it should be a centre of activity rather than the drab and dreary place it's become.

It used to be a central place back in the day, not so long ago, when people still used trains. I hope that day will come again for Thailand and for the millions of visitors who would be attracted by a safe and efficient rail network.

There is nothing like a good train journey.

Like i said - the HuaLampong building is charming and afaik fully funktional. And it is much nicer than for example the concrete-jungle Makassan-Station (or gare Paris Montparnasse for example). Unfortutanely I don't see it often, because every time I travel in Thailand (and I travel a lot) I head without hesitation to Ekkamai, MorChit or SaaiDaaiMai where buses leave every 30 minutes to every province. I agree - there is nothing like a good train journey and I love travelling by train in europe. But the complete SRT here is a farce imho.

[Assurancetourix]

Some more information on Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok_Railway_Station

Architech was an italian man , Mario Tamagno who made other buildings in Bangkok .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Tamagno

Edited June 26, 2016 by Assurancetourix

[nong38]

I wouldn't be too proud of it honestly. While the building is nice and surely was a symbol of progress and a modern railway a century ago, it is today a symbol for a poor and corrupt state-run comapany. Hua Lamphong is always the terminal for a slow, boring and bumpy ride upcountry. The whole railway system is completely rotten and that is why 80-90% of interprovincial transportion is NOT rail-bound but made on roads.

Thailand should have modernized it's train-system half a century ago. Now it's completely outdated. And it is (one of) the reason(s) why thousands of people loose their lives in traffic accidents and on crashing overland-buses

Indeed, but it doesn't have to be that way. With some sympathetic modernisation and renovation it could be quite beautiful again: it is one of the most significant buildings in Bangkok and it should be a centre of activity rather than the drab and dreary place it's become.

It used to be a central place back in the day, not so long ago, when people still used trains. I hope that day will come again for Thailand and for the millions of visitors who would be attracted by a safe and efficient rail network.

There is nothing like a good train journey.

You are so right there is nothing like a good train journey, a most civilized way to travel. Whilst back in the UK I traveled more than 3500 miles by train, one of the things I do miss when I am here is riding the tracks.

I live in hope that the penny will drop and rail travel will catch on and leap into the future, I am not bothered about high speed, 100 mph is fine and I can enjoy the scenery drift by my window.

[Jeremy50]

I have used this station, maybe 60 times over the years, trains are an excellent way to get around. But I wish they'd try to ventilate the platform areas, the air is extremely toxic.

[Moonmoon]

Happy Birthday Hua Lampong railway station! hope for many more good years to come!

[bendejo]

Prior to the 1980s the area around Hualumpong was the cheap traveler's destination for hotels and eats. Not at all like KSR today as the number of such travelers was much, much less. The Thai Song Greet hotel was the place to meet up with fellow wanderers. The place was torn down in 1980.

Yeah, the station is old and decaying, but it still has a certain charm I enjoy.

[Thechook]

And it looks it's age. A lot of wear and tear and virtually no maintenance.

[metisdead]

A post containing an oversize image has been removed as it messed up the formatting of this page.

[jobsworth]

A post containing an oversize image has been removed as it messed up the formatting of this page.

send the oversize image to me and i will reduce it and repost it for you. it must have been a historical photograph.