A few remarks on the rail situation

[von Hirschhorn]

There’s a little uproar lately in the railway ranks and no wonder at least for them familiar with this Forum. It said before in many ways, the State Railway of Thailand is an obsolete enterprise waiting like a Titanic for her tropical iceberg. Time is ticking, hundred years ago a handful German engineers showed how to construct and operate a railway and by that time to the standard and standard, normal gauge.
Due to wavering and reluctant politicians almost nothing happened since. Well; first of all in 1917 to declare war on Germany, a deed of playing a role on the world stage and the abrupt end for the German railway workers. The British took over but they build on meter gauge and thus the investment done by the Germans went down the drain. Apart from that it took ten years to complete the task.
And now one can hear that standard gauge brings a better service. It’s not wavering or reluctance, it’s dreaming as well. Unless one is prepared to bear the price tag that comes with it. For all things it should minimize a lot of other projects or even put in the fridge and more than for a while. On paper it all seems to be so swell, fast trains to the outer destinations of this country.
New locomotives, new stock, yes, needed in despair.
But as I said in an earlier story: the SRT is a heritage railway and therefore in need of an historian who’s able to achieve the two objects in servicing. First preserve what’s there in a maximum condition and second provide transport in the wake of a limited capacity.
Two choices to waver between for the government, as long as the word state is in front of the railway, it’s them who must decide and provide the means. Against the will of many workers - of course now they have a fine pension - still making the whole a private enterprise is an option but is there any right-thinking business man to find who’s willing to take over an almost bankrupt legacy even if he could provide the financial liquidity and make the worse into a better. Continuing a heritage is far beyond his scope.
What happens right now is a painful awareness that neglecting the railways for so long comes to a bitter end.
Derailing trains, locomotives without any motion in the middle of nowhere and helpless passengers waiting for the next one in line. No, it's not the fault of the workers, most of them are dedicated, with all improvisation they try to keep the business rolling. It’s the men behind in their comfortable positions far from the shop floor. Be brave, be wise, for once make a decision but no longer promises on paper it’s far to easy for the given situation and believe me in the past odd twenty four years I saw a lot of promises that never been implemented.
Only fools are satisfied with a lemon sold as a sweet delicacy.

[Wisarut]

^^^
Totally agree:

BTW, the changes of engines to repower Alsthom have been done on the follwoign Alsthom

1. GANZ on ALS 4106, ALS4112, ALS 4121, ALS 4136 and ALS 4138 - not very impressive result due to the poor design of Turbo Charger (Nortilus in Thai Railway Jargon) which more suitable to the cold weather of Eastern Europe than the tropical weather. Even worse, the Turbo Charger of Ganz engines are Radius flow instead of the Axle flow used in Original Pleastick engines. This kind of radius flow is totally unsuitable to be used in Thai Loco at all because it causes broken Nautilus and lubrication oil leakage. This has caused ALS 4136 to burn itself (self-immolation)! Nevertheless, the Ganz engine has given very quiet noise and ALS 4106 has the Governor changfed as well.

2. MTU 16V 4000 R41 on ALS 4140, ALS 4146, ALS 4150, AHK 4214 and ADD 4404 (AHK 4218 whcih has been falled into the bottom of Yom river at Kaeng Luang due to the landslide which killed the loco driver and engine man has the engine replaced with AHK 4214 - while the old Pleastick of other AHK has been cannibalized to keep AHK 4207, AHK 4218 and AHK 4219 running).

The results is very impressive - thanks to the experience from repowering HI and KP locos ... it has very quiet sound like Pleastick but when the engine has reached 1500 RPM - it sounds like Hitachi (HID). However, some loco driver pointed out that ONLY during the starting moment that sound like HID while the rest is liek the old pleastick ... but it eventually sound like Krupp during the faster RPM.

Nevetheless, ALS 4140 has been knocked during the trial with Oil train at Khun Tan. Some of mechanic SRT men even strong opposed the OLD ideas of engine testing for the repowered locos through the difficult path of Khun Tan and Dong Phraya Yen. These repowered locos should be in used for commuter trains first to keep engine at the moderate round instead of puttign the engines of repowered locos to the max round at the first 2000 - 3000 km. After the first 3000 km, it is the right time to change the lubrcation oil to remove any dirt and debris out of the engine and then it is the right time to put those repowered locos or even brand new locos into the heavy and diffcult path of Khun Tan and Dong Phraya Yen.


3. CAT 3516B on AHK 4224, ALD 4301, ALD 4306, ADD 4403 and ADD 4410 whcih has been used in CKD7 locos for Myanmar Railways ... So far, ONLY ADD 4410 has come out of Makkasan - Next one the line will be ALS 4146.


For the case of overheating Alsthom while turning on stepped acclerator the controller is due to the clogged radiators, but the worst case of overheating is the exhaust gas has been leak into the coolant system due the leak cylinders due to broken cylinders by the lubrication oil and collant water lower than the critical level.

The other case of overheating Alsthom is the oil for the fan system has been too low.

REF: http://portal.rotfaithai.com/modules...2849&start=110
http://58.181.223.131/forum/board_posts.asp?FID=700

[bangyuk]

The work of the Germans hardly went down the drain - most routes remained and all that happened was that the tracks were put closer together. As you say, any effort to convert from metre gauge to standard gauge is a complete waste of time - metre gauge is fine.

It is not only the dedicated staff on the ground who do a good job. SRT has generally very good managers, albeit guys who are used to interference from politicians. SRT's main problem is a chronic and near disastrous lack of investment. Some fundamental questions need to be asked about what is SRT's role in Thailand?

Privatisation is not the answer as the investment will still need to come from the government.

No easy answers - but still a decent railway (particularly for freight), and NOT a museum piece.

[von Hirschhorn]

No easy answers - but still a decent railway (particularly for freight), and NOT a museum piece.

Maybe not a museum with stored artifacts behind glassed showcases, one can see but it’s forbidden to touch let alone use it. On the other hand if one forget to invest in a long existing enterprise it becomes a decent museum on itself and from a certain point of view nothing wrong with that as long as the main point transporting people and freight in good order not left behind. If you look at the statistics – ones in a while published in the Bangkok Post – the railways role in nation wide traffic is absolute minimal, both passenger and freight. The ones, who decide, the politicians, are more impressed by figures than reality. Just a simple example; the many oil trains running up the lines, if they had to be replaced by lorries even with trailer, the roads would be more blocked up than already the case. So, the bureaucrats needs to get out of their comfortable chairs and lined up along the line to see for themselves others than from hearing or reading statistics.
The question indeed was able to develop into an almost unsolvable problem. As stated before, no businessman is prepared to pump millions and millions into what almost have become a lost case. Still there’s time left though the clock is ticking.
For the railway in and around Bangkok, their doom is past only why it’s more than clear by now that without the city is doomed.
However, nation wide is another matter. Hopefully some politicians wake up in the wake of their dream. Bangkok certainly is something but above all not everything.

[Wisarut]

We just have a discussion which trains have to be removed, which trains have to be shortened, which trains have to be extended to optimize the number of passengers and leave enough locos to run for cargo trains.

REF: http://portal.rotfaithai.com/modules...ewtopic&t=3771

[von Hirschhorn]

Privatisation or not still government money or other local public funds are needed.
Privatisation is nothing less than an auctioning act of a concession normally for a fixed period, only this time the lowest bidder is the winner. In this way public funds gain by spending less than running the business under own regime.
The private sector’s goal however, on way or another is making profit. Till what cost is something one can figure out alone.
In the West, there’s a culture on high level of ‘catch as much as you can’. Especially some clever man (agers) [are women more responsible?] gain tremendously during many transitions from public to private sector, even civil servants are not free of greed.
I said before and will repeat it again and again: public transportation, among others, should be government business only. And yes, this requires tax payer’s money. Only one thing left, are we convinced that it’s well spend on this way.

[Wisarut]

Latest policy from OTP for SRT

1. Speed up Double tracking from Kaeng Khoi to Chachongsao (106 km) and the ongoing 78-km double tracking from Chachongsao to Laem Chabang

2. 112-km Lopburi - Nakhon Sawan double tracking are next to Kaeng Khoi to Chachongsao Double tracking

3. Makkasan Factory as well as Bangsue Locomotive Maintainance Facility will be moved to Ban Phachi (km 89.95)

4. Speed up Bangsue Central to supersede BKK terminal at Hua Lamphong - afte moving Bangsue Locomotive Maintainance Facility will be moved to Ban Phachi.

[pong]

But compare the current state of SRT to railways in nearby South-East Asia also running on metergauge; the KTMB in Malaysia, the DSVN in Vietnam, or even Perumka in Indonesia. All these offer now far better prime-level trains as here in Thailand. Even in Myanmar/Burma, a country not known for anything progressive, are new Chinese built trains coming in-also on metergauge. As for comfort an speed-they all show that metergauge can work satisfactorily.

[Wisarut]

Now, the Board of Economic Advisers have suggested that SRT better revived Mixed trains to carry containers by coupling BCFs with existing ordinary trains.

BTW, the passenger train could speed up to 90 kph but BCFs have max speed at 70 kph.
http://www.thairath.co.th/content/eco/32911

[Wisarut]

Now, the track strengthen is on going on
1. Kantang Branch line - BS 100 steel rails + BS 100 turnouts + concrete sleepers + steel sleepers on the steel bridges
2. Northern line from Phitsanuloke to Chiang Mai - BS 100 steel rails + BS 100 turnouts + concrete sleepers + steel sleepers on the steel bridges

For the track rehab from Kaeng khoi to Bua Yai, Thanon Jira to Bua Yai and Bua Yai to Nong Khai are on going since it also requite the new and cleansed ballast in addition to the steel bridge reinforcements to accept 20 ton axle load.

The section from kaeng Khoi to Ubon Ratchathani has already gotten BS 100 steel rails + BS 100 turnouts + concrete sleepers ... and we have learnt a lot that Australian made steel rails has a lot better quality than the corresponding rails made in China ... despite of the fact that Australian made steel rails have been laid first.

[Wisarut]

Short films about Thai railways can be seen here:
https://www.facebook.com/RailwayShortFilm


Track Rehabilitation Phase 6 at km 596 + 350- km 596 + 370

[Wisarut]

How to weld BS 100 rails for track rehab

[Wisarut]

Track Rehabilitation on Lam Narai Bypass by laying the concrete sleepers by 6 Men + 1 Machine driver by Italian Thai Development PCL

[Wisarut]

Economic Committee begging the cabinet to spend Development Policy Loan (DPL)
1. Repairing the unsaved track on the following sections with total price tags of 2,939.2523 Million Baht
1.1 Rangsit - Ban Phachi (Upper Bound track and Middle track 60 x 2 km) which still use BS80 rails
1.2 Ban Phachi - Map Krabao (Upper Bound - 44 km) which still use BS 80 rails
1.3 Sri Racha - Khao Cheejan - Sattahip 66 km which still uses BS 70 rails
1.4 Khao chumthong - Nakhon Srithammaraj - which still uses BS 75 rails

2. Installing 105 new and improved level crossing with the price tags of 195.42 Million Baht
3. 17 sections of Fencing along the railway tracks with the price tag of 3,046.13 Million Baht
4. Internal loan for rail replacement on 8 routes with total length of 849 km and price tag of 8,874.62 Million Baht

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/eco/305177

[Wisarut]

Now, Port Authority is going to bail SRT out of Loco Shortage by using their profits to purchase Locos and BCFs for cargo service but SRT has to prepare Kudjik Container Yard and Ban Koh Container Yard along with Tha Muang Container yard to allow the cargo services run as a joint venture with Port Authority and SRT to Laem Chabang ... After that, the service will be expanded to Tha Phra container yard, Ubon Ratchathani, Denchai, Sila At container yard or Chiang Mai. However, MOU with Port Authority have to be signed first.

20 New Loco from China is now pending at Ministry of Finance before approving the credit line to purchase locos.

http://www.thanonline.com/index.php?...-02&Itemid=524