Double rails and electric train upgrades for Thailand's railway
By Jon Fernquest
The
plan for rehabilitating the State
Railway of Thailand
and turning it into a profitable enterprise was not submitted in time
(Read article). Now some of the details of the plan are becoming available.
A double track railway and electric trains are key parts of the plan.
Today's article begins after the vocabulary.
Photo on right of the electricity connector between an electric train and the overhead line that supplies the electricity.
railway - the
transport of passengers and goods by using wheeled vehicles
running on rail tracks (See Wikipedia)
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) - the state-owned rail operator of Thailand, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย (See Wikipedia)
rehabilitating - making a system, building, etc., suitable for use again, i.e., bringing it back to a normal good condition การฟื้นฟูสภาพกิจการ
enterprise - company
double - to become twice as big, twice as much or twice as many เพิ่มเป็นสองเท่า
track - a railway track, the "metal rails" or "rail line" that a train travels along
double track railway, double-track lines, double rails - a railway system with tracks running in both directions (this means that trains don't have to wait to use tracks and can go faster) (SeeWikipedia) รถไฟรางคู่
electric trains - trains drive from electricity provided by overhead electrical lines instead of diesel fuel (See Wikipedia)
upgrades - improvements in technology
key - important
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) - the state-owned rail operator of Thailand, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย (See Wikipedia)
rehabilitating - making a system, building, etc., suitable for use again, i.e., bringing it back to a normal good condition การฟื้นฟูสภาพกิจการ
enterprise - company
double - to become twice as big, twice as much or twice as many เพิ่มเป็นสองเท่า
track - a railway track, the "metal rails" or "rail line" that a train travels along
double track railway, double-track lines, double rails - a railway system with tracks running in both directions (this means that trains don't have to wait to use tracks and can go faster) (SeeWikipedia) รถไฟรางคู่
electric trains - trains drive from electricity provided by overhead electrical lines instead of diesel fuel (See Wikipedia)
upgrades - improvements in technology
key - important
Transport
TRANSPORT
Ministry pushes double track railway plan
15/07/2010Amornrat Mahitthirook
The Transport Ministry is pushing ahead with plans to lay double track railways on some routes and is also looking at replacing its diesel locomotives with electric trains.
The deputy director of the ministry's Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office, Pranot Suriya, told a seminar yesterday his office is planning the double track railways to improve the nation's logistics.
lay tracks - build
the tracks of a railway
deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
logistics - organising the transportation, storage, and proper handling of goods (See Wikipedia) การขนส่งและจัดจำหน่ายสินค้า
deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
logistics - organising the transportation, storage, and proper handling of goods (See Wikipedia) การขนส่งและจัดจำหน่ายสินค้า
A consultancy is expected to propose its design for the first phase of the double tracks before October. Mr Pranot's office will then forward the details of the project to the cabinet so that tenders for the work can be called next year.
Suchai Roiwiwat, a railway expert from the consultancy, said the cabinet had endorsed double tracks on five routes: the 118km Lop Buri-Pak Nampho (Nakhon Sawan) route, the 132km Map Kabao (Saraburi)-Thanon Jira junction (Nakhon Ratchasima) route, the 185km Thanon Jira-Khon Kaen route, the 165km Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin (Prachuap Khiri Khan) route, and the 167km Prachuap Khiri Khan-Chumphon route.
expected
- believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
forward - send
tenders - a formal offer to supply goods and services or do work, offered at a certain price
endorsed - officially approved and supported รับรอง
route - the way that planes, buses, trains, or ships travel regularly เส้นทางของรถ เรือ เครื่องบิน,etc.
forward - send
tenders - a formal offer to supply goods and services or do work, offered at a certain price
endorsed - officially approved and supported รับรอง
route - the way that planes, buses, trains, or ships travel regularly เส้นทางของรถ เรือ เครื่องบิน,etc.
Mr Suchai said the double track project not only involves laying a second track running parallel to the existing track but also strengthening the existing track so trains can travel at speeds of up to 180 kilometres an hour.
This will mean that trains should be able to carry around 10% of the country's cargo instead of just 2% now and the number of train trips will surge from 200 a day to 500 to 800. The number of train passengers will also increase by 3.5 times.
parallel
- when the distance between two lines, etc. is the same all along their
length ขนาน
cargo - goods carried in a truck, plane, or train สินคา้ที่บรรจุในตู้สินค้า ขนส่งทางรถหรือรถไฟ (ในภาษาไทย บางครั้งเรียก ตู้คอนเทนเนอร์)
surge - a sudden increase in something การเพิ่มขึ้นอย่างรวดเร็ว
cargo - goods carried in a truck, plane, or train สินคา้ที่บรรจุในตู้สินค้า ขนส่งทางรถหรือรถไฟ (ในภาษาไทย บางครั้งเรียก ตู้คอนเทนเนอร์)
surge - a sudden increase in something การเพิ่มขึ้นอย่างรวดเร็ว
Thailand also needs to replace its diesel locomotives with electric trains to cut fuel, maintenance and staff costs by as much as 30.
Electric trains can also shorten travel times by 20% and are environmentally friendly. The study on the dual rail tracks includes a design to support the introduction of electric trains.
Pichet Khunathammarak, a civil engineer with the Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning Office, said the building of electric railway tracks costs about 30 million baht a kilometre more than for conventional track but electric railways can significantly reduce transport and energy costs.
replace
- to get rid of someone or something and to put a new person or thing
in their place หาคนมาแทน, เลิกให้และนำสิ่งใหม่มาใช้แทน
diesel - a fuel used in the diesel engines of trucks and trains that is usually cheaper than regular gasoline fuels (See Wikipedia)
locomotive - the vehicle in the front of a train that pulls the train along the track
diesel locomotive - a locomotive that uses diesel fuel such as the ones Thailand currently uses (See Wikipedia)
electric trains - trains drive from electricity provided by overhead electrical lines instead of diesel fuel (See Wikipedia)
fuel - gasoline or diesel to make the train run
maintenance - work that is done to keep something such as a building, machine, or piece of equipment repaired and in good condition การซ่อมบำรุง, การซ่อมบำรุง
staff - workers, employees พนักงาน
diesel - (See Wikipedia)
environmentally friendly - not damaging or harming the environment
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
civil engineer - engineers who design and oversee the construction and and maintainence of structures such as buildings, bridges, roads, canals and dams (See Wikipedia)
construction - the work of building or making something, especially buildings, bridges, etc. การก่อสร้าง
conventional - ordinary, usual, normal ธรรมดา, ตามแบบแผน
significantly - in an important way อย่างสำคัญ
transport - to move people or things from one place to another ขนส่ง
energy -
diesel - a fuel used in the diesel engines of trucks and trains that is usually cheaper than regular gasoline fuels (See Wikipedia)
locomotive - the vehicle in the front of a train that pulls the train along the track
diesel locomotive - a locomotive that uses diesel fuel such as the ones Thailand currently uses (See Wikipedia)
electric trains - trains drive from electricity provided by overhead electrical lines instead of diesel fuel (See Wikipedia)
fuel - gasoline or diesel to make the train run
maintenance - work that is done to keep something such as a building, machine, or piece of equipment repaired and in good condition การซ่อมบำรุง, การซ่อมบำรุง
staff - workers, employees พนักงาน
diesel - (See Wikipedia)
environmentally friendly - not damaging or harming the environment
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
civil engineer - engineers who design and oversee the construction and and maintainence of structures such as buildings, bridges, roads, canals and dams (See Wikipedia)
construction - the work of building or making something, especially buildings, bridges, etc. การก่อสร้าง
conventional - ordinary, usual, normal ธรรมดา, ตามแบบแผน
significantly - in an important way อย่างสำคัญ
transport - to move people or things from one place to another ขนส่ง
energy -
(Source: Transport, Ministry pushes double track railway plan, 15/07/2010, Amornrat Mahitthirook, link)
