Thai Railways: From Bad to Worse

I remember long ago, I used to have a sort of hazy, romantic illusion about the wheezing and aged State Railway of Thailand (SRT), as an overburdened transportation agency doing its best.

In that long ago age, twenty years ago specifically, as a Peace Corps volunteer, it was one of the few options for long-distance travel through a city choked with traffic jams, and about a country with only one overpriced domestic service flying out of Don Muang (this was well before the low-cost airline options came onto the scene).  My site was also located next to Khaochumthong Junction, which has the noteable distinction of having a song specifically written about it.

Old Tracks (Kanchanaburi)

Today, unfortunately, that romantic vision is long gone, and I mainly look upon the SRT with a mixture of disgust, disbelief, and sadness.  This is a bit sad.  I come from a "train-loving" family (my parents have sought out and gone on many a train trip around the world), and I generally seek out train transport, even in the United States. 

My feelings about Thai rail, of course, weren't at all improved last week, as I and the rest of the country absorbed the news about the sickening death of a 13-year-old girl, who was raped and killed, and thrown out of the window of the moving train, by a drunken baggage porter. 


This was horrific enough in and of itself, but was made much worse by a muted, confusing response by the head of the railway, Governor Prapas Chongsa-nguan, who even admitted at one point that wouldn't allow his own daughter in the sleeping compartment of his trains.  He has since been sacked.

Of course, accountability and admission of mistakes aren't key attributes in the Thai body politic, and I couldn't help but remember the ridiculous first response to an accident by Thai Airways last September, who evacuated passengers and then proceeded to airbrush the logo off their plane.

I do remember happier days with the railways.  In the mid-90's, there was a series of canal boats which you could take from the main railway station directly to the Khao Sarn road area (bypassing all road traffic), and Peace Corps volunteers happily swapped hardship stories of travel by third-class (which usually involved sharing a bench and copious drinking).  

I think my travel through the years has played a large role in my reassessment of Thai rail, as I have much to compare it to, specifically other trains in other countries.  

The view from a Peruvian train

I had an excellent experience on the Indian train (first class service from Kolkata to New Delhi) even as I endured some painful episodes with the regional rail service and I was thrilled with Peru's rail system, which goes out of its way to provide excellent service and entertainment, and domed cars for viewing the mountain scenery (Sri Lankan trains offer this as well).  I even remember fondly the relative spartan comforts of Soviet overnight rail service from the mid-80's.

So what excuse does the State Railway of Thailand have for never updating much of anything (even after twenty years, you cannot get tickets on line), for using the same tired train engines (most of which date from the 1960's and 70's), for running late almost always, and for being essentially the same as it ever was, a fossilized copy of what I saw for the first time in 1994?

No real excuse really ... which is why last week, I made a special journey to Hualamphong Station (the central train station in Bangkok) to send an economic message to the SRT.  We had bought a pair of one-way tickets from Khon Kaen to Bangkok, but decided that we couldn't stomach being on a system that never learns, never improves, and seems wedded to a "same as it ever was" philosophy that grows more and more tired every year, and which in part has resulted in the death of a 13-year-old (blame the guilty, but blame the system that produces that guilty person as well).  We decided to pay a little more and go low-cost airline instead.

Dear SRT, here is our report: Nok Air was clean, on time, and professional.  We bought our tickets on-line and paid for them at 7-Eleven, and had a pleasant traveling experience.  We have no complaints.

I look forward, some day, some year, to say the same about you, Thai railways, to return to that romantic feeling I once had, but truly, I don't think that will be any day soon ...