SRT plans massive reconstruction for southern train route

BANGKOK, Jan 31 (TNA) -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is planning a massive reconstruction on the southern train route in a bid to solve the problem of the rail foundation posts blocking the waterways. SRT Governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra told reporters about the repair works on the tracks for the southern train route after the flood water level has now receded. He said all trains are back in operations and the immediate repair would be carried out under a budget of 20 million baht, which is a short term fix that would allow the trains to operate. However, to solve the problem in the longer term, the SRT have agreed that to prevent flooding from disrupting the operations in the southern region, medium and long term plans must be implemented The plan would focus on the adjustment of the track structure, particularly on routes which cross the rivers, where the foundation posts must be constructed in the river, which could have blocked off some parts of the waterways, aggravating the flooding. The governor said all foundation posts must be adjusted in order to prevent them from standing in the way of the water flow, where the physical adjustments throughout the entire southern route would require a budget of over 1 billion baht and construction of up to 2-3 years. (TNA)