PUBLISHED : 29 Jul 2024 at 13:16
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) closed Thailand’s longest train tunnel just after opening it on Sunday pending a 14-day clean-up after passengers complained of thick dust inside it.
Ekarat Sri-arayanpong, chief of the SRT governor’s office, said that northeast-bound passengers complained about thick dust when their train passed through the Pha Sadet tunnel in Saraburi province, so the SRT ordered the contractor to clean the tunnel within 14 days.
The new 5.4-kilometre-long tunnel – a part of the SRT’s new double-track railway to the Northeast – opened on Sunday. The SRT plans to reopen it on Aug 12.
Mr Ekarat said that before the opening, the contractor blew dust out of the tunnel, but winds later blew it back in.
During the temporary closure, northeastern trains are using their old route from Map Krabao station through Pha Sadet and Hin Lap stations to Muak Lek station. The old section is 18 kilometres long and a train takes 32 minutes to cover the distance.
Using the tunnel, the new route between Map Krabao and Muak Lek is 14km long and takes 15 minutes.