Train workers walked off the job this morning to protest the threatened privatization of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT). Service halts on the long lines to Chiang Mai, the South and Northeast forced travelers off the trains onto station platforms. The labor union said the work stoppage will continue until the Prime Minister withdraws the legislation to sell the SRT.
The trains ain’t going nowhere.
Travelers flocked to bus stations to reach their destinations and thaivisa.com was buzzing with posts about how inefficiency of the Thai rail system.
Personally I’ve always liked the train.
Not the fastest way to get anywhere, however there’s a new sub-culture of slow-travelers and the Thai train is an ideal method of slow travel. Narrow gauge tracks dating back to the early 20th Century. Old rolling stock. Leisurely stops. Good food in the dining cars. Frosty AC in the sleeping cars. No rush. No hurry. No check-ins. A ticket and wait for the conductor to call out the train’s departure from the station.
Cheap too.
No airport tax either.
There’s even a train from Pattaya to Bangkok.
6 hours versus 2 hours on the bus.
Once a day as opposed to every 10 minutes.
But not today.
The trains ain’t going anywhere like I said before.
And going nowhere fast too.
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https://www.mangozeen.com/bts-skytrain-plans-for-disabled-passengers-in-bangkok.htm