When old trains are new again

Seventeen second-hand passenger practice carriages from Japan are set for a brand new lease of life having now been refurbished forward of being put into service for brief tourism routes from subsequent month, says the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).

Donated by the Hokkaido Railway Firm (JR Hokkaido), the 17 diesel carriages arrived at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri on Dec 13 final yr. The SRT paid 42.5 million baht for the cargo.

Check run

On Sept 6, SRT governor Nirut Maneephan took the media on a take a look at run of a practice made up of three carriages which have been fully refurbished.

The air-conditioned practice rolled out of Bangkok’s Makkasan rolling inventory upkeep and restore centre and pulled right into a railway station within the japanese province of Chachoengsao about an hour later earlier than making its approach again to Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok.

The carriages, which have been initially designed for Japan’s 1.067-metre gauge rail tracks, have been outfitted with modified units of wheels for compatibility with Thailand’s one-metre gauge tracks, whereas their interiors and exteriors have been refurbished. The our bodies of the carriages have additionally been repainted of their authentic white and lavender colors.

Fanatics and members of the general public turned up on the stations and alongside the trial path to take pictures of the practice.

In line with the SRT, refurbishment of the remaining 14 carriages is anticipated to be accomplished by the tip of subsequent yr.

The 17 carriages, from the Kiha 183 sequence, have been manufactured between 1981 and 1982 and decommissioned in 2017.

Earlier than being donated to Thailand, the Kiha 183 sequence served as restricted specific trains in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture and coldest area. The carriages have been developed specifically to resist the tough, snowy winters there.

With a driver’s cab elevated for higher visibility throughout snowfall, the Kiha 183 sequence contains a “slant nostril” designed to maintain snow out of the entrance of the practice whereas on the transfer. The Kiha 183 sequence has a most velocity of 110 kilometres per hour.

Of the 17 carriages, eight have a seating capability of 40 passengers every and one other eight have a seating capability of 68 passengers every. The ultimate one has a capability of 52 passengers.

The inside design of a renovated practice carriage has a comfortable look to welcome passengers. The State Railway of Thailand plans to make use of the 17 donated carriages from Japan to advertise railway tourism.

Prepared for service

Mr Nirut stated the three renovated carriages will likely be put into service for day journeys subsequent month and the SRT will ask the general public for concepts on their most well-liked tourism routes.

“I’ll ask the general public to vote for tourism routes they need the practice to run on resembling from Bangkok to Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri, from Bangkok to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan, and from Bangkok to Nam Tok (Waterfall) station in Kanchanaburi,” Mr Nirut stated.

Relating to refurbishment, the SRT has tried its greatest to retain as lots of the authentic traits as potential, aside from the wheels which should be transformed to suit Thailand’s one-metre-gauge tracks, he stated.

“Whereas the indicators in Japanese within the practice’s inside have been stored intact to protect the unique really feel of the practice, English translations have additionally been added.

“Japanese-language posters introducing vacationer sights in Thailand are additionally displayed inside,” Mr Nirut stated.

Prepare seats are organized in pairs on either side of the aisle and so they may also be manually rotated to permit passengers to take a seat face-to-face, he stated.

“Initially, some have been unsure concerning the worth of the used carriages. However because it seems, they’re in good working situation and performance properly,” Mr Nirut stated.

“The refurbishment was carried out by technicians and value solely about 200,000 baht per carriage whereas new carriages value 80-100 million baht every,” he stated.

“Though the SRT needed to pay 42.5 million baht for the cargo, the result of the renovation is price all the prices and efforts,” he stated.

He stated that each one 17 carriages had been in use for about 35 years and after refurbishment, they can be utilized for no less than an extra 15 years.

Adisorn Singhakarn, a senior engineer on the SRT’s upkeep and restore centre, stated the donation of the carriages underscored the amicable relations between the SRT and railway operators in Japan which return greater than 20 years.

“Beforehand, JR West [the West Japan Railway Co] donated a number of diesel and air-conditioned carriages to Thailand.

“They donated 26 carriages in 1997. One other batch of 28 was given in 1999, one other 40 have been donated in 2004 and an extra 32 in 2010.

“All have been refurbished into VIP carriages to cater to vacationers,” Mr Adisorn stated.

“However the newest batch of carriages have essentially the most distinct traits anticipated from a Japanese practice,” he stated.

Countering criticism

Deputy authorities spokeswoman Tipanan Sirichana stated the federal government welcomed the renovation of the carriages, which was cheaper than shopping for new ones.

The refurbished practice will assist promote tourism to revitalise the economic system, she added.

“Some individuals criticised the federal government and dismissed the carriages as scrap metallic. However we expect the federal government’s determination proved to be the right one. The excessive calibre of the technicians concerned within the refurbishment additionally deserves reward,” Ms Tipanan stated.

The SRT’s determination to pay some 42.5 million baht for the cargo of the donated carriages stirred social media controversy about their worth.

Some Fb customers requested why Thailand needed to pay a lot for the used carriages. Many netizens who opposed the thought described the carriages as “scrap metallic”.