Airport Link plans to add 15 carriages

The Airport Rail Link (ARL) operator is planning to buy 15 more carriages to serve growing demand from passengers.

If approved by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board, the plan, now being studied, would add carriages to trains operating on the route linking the city with Suvarnabhumi airport.

The study is expected to be wrapped up within this year, SRT Electrified Train Co’s acting managing director Wisut Chanmani said yesterday.

The company, a subsidiary of the SRT, is pushing ahead with the plan under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s policy to adequately serve the growing ridership, Mr Wisut said.

About 70,000 people a day on average use the ARL on weekdays, peaking mostly on Fridays.

The number drops to 50,000 at weekends, according to SRT Electrified Train Co’s acting deputy managing director Suthep Phanpheng.

The company is asking the Germanybased Siemens Co, the carriage supplier of the ARL, for advice on its move to add more carriages to each train.

If there is no problem, the SRT board will be then asked to allocate a budget for the purchase.

“The 15 carriages will enable us to serve an additional 40,000 passengers a day,” Mr Wisut said.

The SRT Electrified Train originally planned to buy seven new trains costing 4.4 billion baht instead of procuring only carriages.

However, the ARL would first need to adjust a new signage system to accommodate new trains manufactured by different companies.

The SRT board has already given the green light to the system adjustment plan, which is estimated to cost 1.9 billion baht, but a bidding for contractors has not yet been called, Mr Wisut said.

“It’s not easy to buy seven more trains,” Mr Wisut said, adding: “The process is quite time consuming.”

Adding carriages to the existing trains is a more suitable option at the moment, he said, adding the firm also plans to convert four freight compartments into passenger carriages, costing around 20 million baht.

Under the plan, the converted carriages will be ready for use by September, allowing the company to serve an additional 8,000 and 9,000 passengers a day.

The Airport Rail Link’s capacity is being boosted as the service is becoming more popular with people commuting from central Bangkok to the suburbs and Suvarnabhumi airport.

The company will also begin progressive maintenance of its nine trains in operation from May, although the work will not seriously affect the daily services, Mr Wisut said.

Last year, 21 million people used the ARL service.