More than 120 years since the nation's first railway was built, 20 years after the the BTS Skytrain's launch and 15 years after the MRT subway's birth, the Rail Department, a state body to oversee all rail transport operators, has finally come to life.
The new department, which was established last month, is the brainchild of the military-led government and will oversee all rail-related policy and infrastructure development nationwide.
The Rail Department will serve as a regulator, overseeing the debt-laden State Railway of Thailand behemoth, the MRTA, operator of Bangkok's subway, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) BTS Skytrain concession.
Going forward, it will also need to work with local administrations such as those in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Songkhla and Khon Kaen, where rail projects are under way.
The department is set to become ever more important to city residents and commuters across the country.
On Tuesday, the cabinet appointed Sarawut Songsiwilai, director of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, as head of the new agency.
Mr Sarawut said that the department will be chiefly responsible for enhancing rail transport services, such as formulating criteria to assess the performance, ranging from punctuality to passenger satisfaction.
Over the next 10 years, the department will oversee the government's ambitious plan to develop a 6,000-kilometre rail network across the country.
In my humble opinion, I expect more from the Rail Department.
The railway industry faces unprecedented challenges that go beyond construction, concessions and service performance.
The department needs to prepare the country's transport network for an era in which more people relocate to live in towns.
Commuters will expect seamless travel, with a rail system that connects them with buses, bicycle lanes, boats and other transport modes.
They will also ask for train stations that offer a tranche of services to make their daily lives easier. These will include banking, dining and shopping options, as well as carriages that provide space for their bicycles.
In terms of payment, commuters will demand nothing less than a single ticket system that accepts cashless payments via mobile apps that also provide up to the minute service information.
This is how public transport is orchestrated in major cities around the world these days. And this is how we must do it too.
I don't know of many other cities in the world where commuters need to carry individual cards in order to use separate train systems. Here, we need to carry one card for the skytrain and another for the subway system. Commuting across Bangkok leaves a lot to be desired in terms of convenience.
In addition, to make sure Thailand has more comprehensive and better-connected rail networks, the department must encourage operators to develop stations that cater to all types of passengers, including the elderly and disabled.
In Thailand, the train and railways are not designed to accommodate people with disabilities. For example, the BTS Skytrain, run by the BMA, still does not have full access (via lifts) to all of its stations and platforms.
Needless to say, the department needs to jump in and force the BMA to provide a budget to upgrade the stations. The department must make it a top priority to make Thailand's railways accessible for all.
Last but not least it must reshape the industry into an entity that creates jobs and fosters innovation.
In Europe, railway systems are big business, not only for contractors but also for the companies that sell trains and related technologies. The rail industry is a large ecosystem that comprises engineering schools, to teach students and help workers up-skill; a commercial sector, which provides uniforms, catering, spare parts, services; and the start-ups that create the digital innovations that improve the overall experience for staff and commuters alike.
So, I welcome the birth of this much needed Rail Department and wish it success. Its challenge is far greater than just laying 6,000km of crisscrossing railway track up and down the country. Its biggest challenge is to make rail the mode transport of choice for most of those who live in the city. If the department can achieve this, then society will benefit as a whole, not just the train operators and investors.
Anchalee Kongrut is an assistant news editor, Bangkok Post.