Timetables
:: North-Eastern
Line
:: Northern
Line
:: Eastern
Line
:: Southern
Line
 Siam,
with the exception of the water-borne traffic along rivers and canals,
the only means of inland communication in the country had been those
borne by animals such as oxen, buffaloes, horses, elephants with
howdahs and bullock-carts, which had indeed been very popular among
the people of that time for their daily use in travelling as well
as in transporting goods from place to place. Communication by rail
was still then completely unknown.
As days rolled by and finally during the reign of King Chulalongkorn
(Rama V), a Royal Proclamation pertaining to the construction on
the first state railway line in Siam from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima
in the Northeast was issued on March 9, 1891. The Ministry of Public
Works, under the auspices of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn, had
engaged Mr. G.M. Campbell, a distinguished businessman from England,
to undertake the construction of this railway line.
The "Foundation Laying" ceremony was presided over by
King Chulalongkorn on March 9, 1891. The opening day of the first
rail service from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, March 26,1894, was considered
as a red-letter day ever to be remembered in the annals of the Royal
State Railways of Siam.
The office of the Royal State Railways of Siam was first established
under the control of the Ministry of Public Works in October 1890,
and was divided into two departments, namely the Northern and Southern
Railways which controlled the networks of the east and west banks
of the Chao Phaya river respectively. Its responsibilities were
then to administer all state railway functions, to supervise and
control private railways in accordance with the provisions of the
concession granted to each of them. The director-generals of the
two departments and most of their principal staff were Europeans.
In order to cut down management expenditure while improving the
organisation, the two railway departments were finally merged into
one and known as the Department of the Royal State Railways of Siam
since June 5, 1917. The new Department was entrusted to the direction
of Prince Purachatra of Kambaengbejr who was appointed its first
Commissioner-General. It was greatly due to his ability, unstinted
hard-work, and to the support of his colleagues that the Department
was significantly enlarged and modernised. It was he who introduced
the first diesel locomotive to the system in 1982 and his far-sighted
initiation was carried over through generations under a decentralisation
program which was finally completed in 1976, some 48 years later.
At the time of the merging go the Northern and Southern Railway
Offices, The East Bank System still adopted a standard gauge of
1.4435 m, different form that of the West Bank system which was
of 1.00 m gauge. This created a great deal of inconvenience to the
progress of the enterprise itself. A Royal Decision was, therefore,
given for the unification of gauges, that is to say, all new state
railway lines were to be built to meter gauge, and all existing
1.435 m. lines to be converted within ten years into meter gauge
in uniformity with those of the the railways in the neighbouring
countries, i.e., Malaysia, Burma and Cambodia. The conversion was
commenced on November 20, 1920 and completed in the year 1930.
As regards the progress of the railways development at the end
of King Chulalongkorn reign (1868-1910) the total length of lines
open to traffic amounted to 774 km. At the end of King
Vajiravudhis reign (1910-25) , the length was increased to 1,804
km and by the end of king Prajahipok's reign (1924-34) and King
Anandhamahidolis reign (1934-46) , 418 km and 259 km
Respectively were added. Total length of the lines was 2,481 km
in 1946. The fact that the Royal State Railway of Siam did gradually
develop and eminent rate in bestowing progress upon the country
is beyond doubt. However, the far East theatre of World War II at
last broke out in 1941 and Siam inevitably fell into its terrible
clutches. Railway buildings, lines and bridges as well as rolling
stock and workshops were air-raided and destroyed almost throughout
the whole Kingdom. With the coming of peace in 1945 the once well
organised Royal state Railways of Siam emerged form the tumult of
destruction only to survive under the help of ruins. Restoration
program was immediately planned by the Government to bring the Railways
back to the pre-war condition, and to hasten its development for
the benefit of the public which was the impassioned spirit of its
venerable creator King Chulalongkorn.
In 1951 , the Royal State railways of Siam became a state enterprise
by virture of the Sate Railway of Thailand Act B.E. 2494 (1951)
. It now has a total route length of 4,041 km. At present , the
Railway of Thailand is the largest state enterprise of Thailand
in terms of manpower with a total staff about 26,412 (Officers =
10,354; Technical, skilled labour and others = 16,058).
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