30-7-2023 (BANGKOK) The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) in collaboration with Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture and King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) has unveiled a prototype of a luxurious 25-seater rail carriage named “Beyond Horizon”. The train’s facilities include personal touch screens and wheelchair-accessible features, representing a significant milestone in Thailand’s railway system.
Beyond Horizon is part of the Transport Ministry’s innovative Thai First Policy, which aims to incorporate more locally-made materials into the mass-transit network. The project uses 40% of Thai-made hardware throughout the production line, preparing the country for the development of locally-made rail coaches, as Thailand will require at least 2,425 rail carriages in 20 years to cater for railway network development.
The Thai-made rail carriage could cost up to 50 million baht each, with a total cost of up to 100 billion baht for the 2,425 carriages. During 2015–2018, rail carriages accounted for 80% of SRT’s import costs. Thus, the introduction of Beyond Horizon presents an opportunity for Thailand to become a manufacturer using technology localisation, improving its railway system and reducing costs.
The Beyond Horizon project has received 32 million baht in funding, 25 million baht of which came from the Programme Management Unit for Competitiveness, while the remainder came from the Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture. Somyot Kaitwanidvilai, the dean of KMITL’s School of Engineering and the project manager of Beyond Horizon, said the design of the passenger coach was inspired by airlines’ business class and high-speed railways’ first class.
The carriage has 25 seats, with eight in the super luxury class and the rest in the luxury class. Personal screens are provided for all seats, enabling passengers to order food and entertain themselves during the journey. The train’s lavatory is built in a vacuum system similar to those on commercial planes, while the train doors’ universal design is easy for people with disabilities.
Beyond Horizon’s ticket price is expected to be similar to the price of the SRT’s sleeper train tickets. Maethus Lertsethtakarn, the executive of the Joint Venture Sinogen-Pin Petch company, stated that Thailand’s neighbours, including Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia, manufacture their own carriages for domestic use. However, Thailand still imports production materials from abroad, costing the country over 6 billion baht.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the project, saying it would reduce costs by 50% compared to importing carriages. The Beyond Horizon train’s development provides a significant opportunity for Thailand to reduce import costs and increase technical know-how, which will be available to entrepreneurs.
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