It was 11.45 on a February night when 27-year-old Anon Chawseeroy and three friends boarded a third-class train at Rangsit station heading to Chiang Mai.
The SRT moves 50 million passengers a year on its 4,000-kilometre network, but carrying passengers is a money-losing business. The heavily indebted state enterprise could make a lot more money by carrying freight if it can overhaul its old, slow and creaking infrastructure.
For someone who had been on a train just three times in his life, he said it wasn't that bad.
Sitting a few cabins away, Rata Rojjanavaroe had made sure she arrived half an hour early for her ride from Bangkok _ a trip that eventually took her 15 hours after a long delay of an hour and 15 minutes.
There is no doubt that the picture Thais have in mind when they think of the State Railway of Thailand is "slow", especially when 67% of the main tracks are more than 30 years old.
But over the next three years the mindset may change, if the SRT can successfully carry out plans to lay an additional 700 kilometres of double tracks. The work is part of a Transport Ministry master plan to develop 3,039 km of double tracks by 2024, divided into three phases starting from 2010.
Chula: ‘The hard part is getting it started’
The overall cost is estimated at 270.8 billion baht, and first priority will be given to routes from Laem Chabang to Chachoengsao, Lop Buri to Nakhon Sawan and Bangkok to Hua Hin.
Thailand currently has a railway network of 4,000 kilometres, of which only 500 kilometres are double-track rails.
According to Chula Sukmanop, an inspector-general at the Transport Ministry, double tracks allow trains to pass without stopping to wait for each other.
A ministry study found that if the average train speed is 55 kilometres and hour, the figure would increase to 90 km/h if double tracks are set up. For freight transport, the speed would double from 35 km/h to 70 km/h.
The government is also prepared to study high-speed rail, with proposals already made by China and Japan; the latter has proposed a system in which train speeds will reach 250 km/h.
"I think high-speed trains are a luxury more than a necessity [and so should be given second priority], and they should be an average of 120 km/h for double tracks, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h," said Dr Chula, adding that construction would take time because environmental impact assessments take about two years for approval.
With a speed of 160 km/h, he says, it would be possible for trains to compete with road transport.
How the trains are powered in the future is becoming an issue, however, given high oil prices. According to the Transport Ministry, if diesel prices exceed 45 baht per litre, using electric train systems would be more cost-efficient, based on construction costs for the system of 50 million baht per kilometre, with electricity costs of 20-30 units per kilometre per train, and diesel consumption ranging from 2.8 to 3.5 litres per train per kilometre.
Abigail Evans, executive transport planner of Meinhardt (Thailand) Ltd, says double tracking of freight lines is important and should be done immediately so that Thailand can maintain and enhance its export capacity.
"The high-speed rail master plan will be beneficial in the medium to long term and will make Thailand more attractive to investors and travellers, especially as there is a buzz for it across the world," she said. "However, it needs to fully integrate with the MRT, BTS and Airport Link in major cities."
Road transport currently accounts for 85-88% of all goods transport in Thailand, with trains comprising 3% and water transport the rest.
Dr Chula says policymakers want to see the share of rail transport increase to 5% within five years and 10% within 10 years. The goals are achievable because competition on roads has reached its saturation point.
"This momentum will begin fast because people are increasingly understanding the concept, especially when oil prices are surging," he said. "But if the railway is to compete with road transport, it has to have the same structure; that is, everyone [including the private sector] can use the tracks."
There are many cities surrounding Bangkok, he notes, but inter-city rail transport can only become successful if the infrastructure is ready.
"People from Nakhon Ratchasima can drive their car to the train station and ride the train. What happens in Bangkok will happen in other provinces."
And while Dr Chula is concerned that changes in governments cause discontinuity in policies, one way to create continuity would be to start the project, after which it can't be halted.
"The hard part is getting it started," he said. "When people start to see it, there will be a natural push. This way, the people will be the ones educating politicians about what kind of benefits the train system has."