Trains in Thailand report 3.16 million passengers over New Year’s

Over 3 million people rode the rails (quietly, we hope) over the New Year’s holiday period, with the Department of Rail Transport reporting 3,160,216 passengers taking trains between December 29 and January 3.

During those 6 days, nearly 2.9 million of the 3.1 million rides were on the electric trains that criss-cross Bangkok. The Rail Transport Department Deputy Director-General broke down the 2,897,234 rides in Bangkok during the holiday period.

Some of the top ridership by the different lines of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit, Bangkok Mass Transit System, and the State Railway of Thailand

• 1,825,928 passengers – BTS Green and Gold Lines
• 791,173 passengers – MRT Blue Line
• 262,982 passengers – SRT interprovincial trains
• 135,665 passengers – Airport Rail Link

The interprovincial trains run by the SRT moved people going on a quick vacation getaway or visiting family over the New Year’s holiday, with officials needing to add extra rail service to keep up with demand. The deputy director-general commented on the need to accommodate travellers with extra trains.

“The SRT added another express train from Tuesday, running from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, and has increased the number of carriages for long-distance trains to make sure people visiting their hometowns during the New Year break can return to Bangkok on time.”

The most popular SRT travel region was in the south of Thailand with just over 80,000 passengers riding to the southern provinces. The northeast of Thailand and the northern provinces were the second and third most travelled regions.

1. Southern Thailand – 80,010 passengers
2. Northeastern Thailand – 71,703 passengers
3. Northern Thailand – 61,877 passengers

While the over 3 million passengers is mostly a success for Thai trains and domestic travel, the Department of Rail Transport did acknowledge a few hiccups along the way. Most statistics were minimal, with only 1 train cancelled across the country over the holiday, 4 trains reported to be delayed and 5 reports of electrical malfunctions.

There was some more consequential data reported as during the 6-day holiday period there were 6 accidents on the rail that led to 2 injuries and 2 deaths.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand