Bangkok’s suburban train will boost its capacity by up to 40% with Thales
Key Points
- State Railway of Thailand entrusts the safety of the Red Line suburban train to Thales’ ETCS
- As the first electrified main line for railways on the SRT network, the ETCS system will ensure highest safety standards and boost capacity by up to 40%
- It will be the third ETCS project in Thailand
The Red Line commuter train system is a suburban rail project proposed by the SRT to address traffic congestion and encourage a shift from road transport to urban rail. The line is expected to serve 131,000 commuters daily when it goes into service. As part of Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan which aims to develop an urban rail transit network to serve metropolitan Bangkok and its surrounding urban areas, the Red Line is the first line which is fully integrated into SRT’s conventional main line rail network.
On the Red Line, new electrical commuter trains will run as well as long distance passenger trains. It will consist of the following two lines: North Line (from Rangsit to Bang Sue) and West Line (from Bang sue to Taling Chan).
The Thales ETCS system will ensure the highest safety standards for railway transport on the complete line. 25 new electric multiple unit trains and two existing non-electrified vehicles will be equipped with Thales ETCS on-board system, resulting in a total of 53 on-board units. Being fit for the future they will run in a pure Level 1 configuration but can easily be adapted for Level 2. The Red Line sections to be equipped are partly built in a four-track alignment and the remainder as a double-track line. The signalling part is planned to be finished in 2020.
Thales stands ready to support SRT’s plans for growth. With proven signalling competencies and international market knowledge based on previous partnerships with Nippon Signal and earlier ETCS installations for SRT in Thailand, Thales hopes to enhance the technology and expertise delivered to the Thai transportation industry.
As Thailand develops its transportation infrastructure to support a growing urban population, Thales continues to be a committed partner to the country, as we’ve done for close to 30 years across various businesses. We are supporting Thailand’s ambitions in developing a robust urban rail network, and providing systems that ensure the highest level of safety to the SRT’s commuters. We look forward to working closely with our partner Nippon Signal to bring the Red Line to the Thai people.
Tommy Ayouty, Country Director of Thales in Thailand.
ETCS was developed to promote interoperability across Europe but it is being rapidly adopted by operators worldwide whether they have borders to cross or not.
- More trains: ETCS boosts the capacity of existing networks by up to 40%.
- Reliability improvements: radio-based communications and reduced infrastructure means there’s less to go wrong.
- Open supply market: trackside and on-board equipment is produced by multiple suppliers in a competitive market place.
- Impact on life cycle cost: elimination of trackside equipment, including signals; means reduced maintenance costs
About Thales in Thailand
Thales has been present in Thailand since the early 1990s and the Group opened its representative office in Bangkok in 2005. In Thailand, Thales has significant programmes and achievements in the civil and defence sectors and works closely with key Thai partners across the markets of aerospace, defence, space and transportation.