Engineers at King Mongkut Institute associated with Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) are working on a model of a luxury 25-seater rail carriage, which will be thoroughly track-tested before entering service with all the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) past due next year.
The project will be part of the Transport Ministry’s Thai First Plan, which seeks to incorporate more homegrown equipment into Thailand’s mass-transit network, said mouthpiece SRT governor, Siripong Preutthipan.
The project received 32 million baht in funding, 25 million baht which came from the Programme Management Unit intended for Competitiveness, while the rest came from Sinogen-Pin Petch Joint Venture Co, this individual said.
The carriage will have eight “super luxury” seats, which are similar to first-class seats upon aircraft, and seventeen “luxury” seats, which resemble business class, he said.
It will also be equipped with a 5G-based smart infotainment system and an UV-C atmosphere purifying system, this individual said.
About 40% associated with materials used in building this prototype were locally sourced, making this carriage 30% cheaper than an imported one, he said.
After the carriage goes by testing to ensure it meets international security and production specifications, it will be then incorporated into the SRT’s normal services, he said.