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State Railway of Thailand
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) (Thai: การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., RTGS: kan rot fai haeng prathet thai) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand.
The SRT was founded as the Royal State Railways of Siam (RSR) in 1890. King Chulalongkorn ordered the Department of Railways to be set up under the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning. Construction of the Bangkok-Ayutthaya railway (71 km or 44 mi), the first part of the Northern Line, was started in 1890 and inaugurated on 26 March 1897. The Thon Buri-Phetchaburi line (150 km or 93 mi), later the Southern Line, was opened on 19 June 1903. The first railway commander of the RSR was Prince Purachatra Jayakara, Prince of Kamphaengphet.
The Northern Line was originally built as 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge , but in September 1919 it was decided to standardize on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) meter gauge and the Northern Line was regauged over the next ten years. On 1 July 1951, RSR changed its name to the present State Railway of Thailand, which has the status of a state enterprise agency.
On 7 April 2020, the Thai cabinet named Nirut Maneephan as the new chief of the SRT, the 29th governor in its history. As of 2020[update] SRT had 4,044 km (2,513 mi) of track, all of it meter gauge except the Airport Link. Nearly 91% was single-track railway (3,685 km (2,290 mi)) while 6%, mainly important sections around Bangkok, were double-track railway (251 km or 156 mi) and 3% were triple-track railway (107 km or 66 mi). The network serves 47 provinces and around 35 million passengers annually. The passenger count is expected to double by 2032, when the network grows to 6,463 km (4,016 mi) to serve 61 provinces.
The SRT has suffered a loss every year since it was turned into a state-owned enterprise under the Transport Ministry in 1951. As the worst financially performing state enterprise, it reported a preliminary loss of 7.58 billion baht in 2010. In the fiscal year ending 30 September 2016, the military government budgeted 7,600 million baht for SRT infrastructure investments to be used for track duplication, an extension of Bangkok's elevated railway, and construction of bridges, fences, and track improvements, however, the SRT had managed to disburse only 53 percent of its allotted investment budget of 60 billion baht, compared with an average disbursement rate of 80 percent by Thailand's other 55 state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Disbursement rate is seen as an indicator of efficient management. SRT's budget from government for FY2020 was 13,574.9 million baht, increased from 9,087 million baht in FY2019.
"If you look at the SRT they are a bit like a patient in [intensive care] and everyone is saying to him 'you are the future' and trying to kick him out of bed when he is still moaning and groaning," said Ruth Banomyong, a logistics and transport expert at Thammasat University.
The SRT annual operating losses are estimated at a minimum of 10 billion baht. In 2018 and 2019, the SRT lost 12 and 17 billion baht respectively. As of 2021[update] the SRT has debts amounting to nearly 190 billion baht. The SRT consistently operates at a loss despite being endowed with large amounts of property—the SRT is one of Thailand's largest land holders, owning an estimated 39,840 hectares— and receiving large government subsidies. SRT's latest property development scheme is the Chao Phraya Gateway project. It capitalises on SRT's 277 rai, 1.16 kilometre stretch of land on the river in the Khlong Toei District. The SRT hopes the project will help clear its 100 billion baht debt. The project is projected to break even within eight years and deliver profits of 140 billion baht. As of April 2019[update], SRT's plans are being submitted to the Transport Ministry for approval.
SRT's failings are reflected in passenger numbers, which, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit have dropped from 88 million in 1994 to 44 million in 2014, and 26 million in 2020. The SRT has long been popularly perceived by the public as inefficient and resistant to change. Trains are usually late, and most of its equipment is old and poorly maintained. Although SRT's operational costs amount to two baht per kilometre traveled, SRT fares defray only a fraction of that cost. SRT has not been permitted to hike fares since 1985 which is significantly below market rate.
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State Railway of Thailand
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) (Thai: การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., RTGS: kan rot fai haeng prathet thai) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand.
The SRT was founded as the Royal State Railways of Siam (RSR) in 1890. King Chulalongkorn ordered the Department of Railways to be set up under the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning. Construction of the Bangkok-Ayutthaya railway (71 km or 44 mi), the first part of the Northern Line, was started in 1890 and inaugurated on 26 March 1897. The Thon Buri-Phetchaburi line (150 km or 93 mi), later the Southern Line, was opened on 19 June 1903. The first railway commander of the RSR was Prince Purachatra Jayakara, Prince of Kamphaengphet.
The Northern Line was originally built as 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge , but in September 1919 it was decided to standardize on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) meter gauge and the Northern Line was regauged over the next ten years. On 1 July 1951, RSR changed its name to the present State Railway of Thailand, which has the status of a state enterprise agency.
On 7 April 2020, the Thai cabinet named Nirut Maneephan as the new chief of the SRT, the 29th governor in its history. As of 2020[update] SRT had 4,044 km (2,513 mi) of track, all of it meter gauge except the Airport Link. Nearly 91% was single-track railway (3,685 km (2,290 mi)) while 6%, mainly important sections around Bangkok, were double-track railway (251 km or 156 mi) and 3% were triple-track railway (107 km or 66 mi). The network serves 47 provinces and around 35 million passengers annually. The passenger count is expected to double by 2032, when the network grows to 6,463 km (4,016 mi) to serve 61 provinces.
The SRT has suffered a loss every year since it was turned into a state-owned enterprise under the Transport Ministry in 1951. As the worst financially performing state enterprise, it reported a preliminary loss of 7.58 billion baht in 2010. In the fiscal year ending 30 September 2016, the military government budgeted 7,600 million baht for SRT infrastructure investments to be used for track duplication, an extension of Bangkok's elevated railway, and construction of bridges, fences, and track improvements, however, the SRT had managed to disburse only 53 percent of its allotted investment budget of 60 billion baht, compared with an average disbursement rate of 80 percent by Thailand's other 55 state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Disbursement rate is seen as an indicator of efficient management. SRT's budget from government for FY2020 was 13,574.9 million baht, increased from 9,087 million baht in FY2019.
"If you look at the SRT they are a bit like a patient in [intensive care] and everyone is saying to him 'you are the future' and trying to kick him out of bed when he is still moaning and groaning," said Ruth Banomyong, a logistics and transport expert at Thammasat University.
The SRT annual operating losses are estimated at a minimum of 10 billion baht. In 2018 and 2019, the SRT lost 12 and 17 billion baht respectively. As of 2021[update] the SRT has debts amounting to nearly 190 billion baht. The SRT consistently operates at a loss despite being endowed with large amounts of property—the SRT is one of Thailand's largest land holders, owning an estimated 39,840 hectares— and receiving large government subsidies. SRT's latest property development scheme is the Chao Phraya Gateway project. It capitalises on SRT's 277 rai, 1.16 kilometre stretch of land on the river in the Khlong Toei District. The SRT hopes the project will help clear its 100 billion baht debt. The project is projected to break even within eight years and deliver profits of 140 billion baht. As of April 2019[update], SRT's plans are being submitted to the Transport Ministry for approval.
SRT's failings are reflected in passenger numbers, which, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit have dropped from 88 million in 1994 to 44 million in 2014, and 26 million in 2020. The SRT has long been popularly perceived by the public as inefficient and resistant to change. Trains are usually late, and most of its equipment is old and poorly maintained. Although SRT's operational costs amount to two baht per kilometre traveled, SRT fares defray only a fraction of that cost. SRT has not been permitted to hike fares since 1985 which is significantly below market rate.