With average global temperatures rising faster than experts had initially projected, flying is starting to look out of fashion, and not just among climate activists and environmentalists.
More travellers are realising that while jets are without a doubt the fastest means of covering vast distances, their advantage over other means of transport significantly decreases as the trips get shorter. The question is whether the government -- particularly the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) -- adapts fast enough to cash in on the growing trend?
Unfortunately, those in charge of the nation's rail network seem preoccupied with other issues at the expense of what should be their core business, which is providing efficient rail transport services for the masses.
Take for instance the average flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Modern jetliners are more than capable of covering the 800-kilometre flight in less than 90 minutes, but the time spent in the air is just a small part of the actual journey.
Once travel times to and from the airports plus time spent at check-in and clearing pre-flight security are factored in, one quickly realises that the journey isn't as quick as we think.
With conventional aircraft having reached their design limits, flying isn't likely to get faster any time soon -- but waiting times will certainly be longer as more and more people take to the skies.
It comes as no surprise that an increasing number of people are starting to look at alternative modes of transport, which may not be as fast as planes, but offer other upsides not found in the stripped-down jetliners' cabins of today.
Private cars, for instance, offer added comfort and flexibility, but rising fuel costs mean long-distance trips not only take a toll on the drivers' bodies, but also their wallets. Plus, driving isn't an attractive option during holiday periods.
Trains also offer many of these upsides without the need to watch the road, so it is little wonder a growing number of travellers are taking to them.
Not only are they capable of transporting large numbers of passengers in one go, but capacity can also be adjusted relatively quickly, and compared to gas-guzzling aircraft and conventional vehicles, they have a relatively smaller carbon footprint.
These are among the advantages of rail travel that the SRT should be promoting to the public. Instead it chooses to keep mum, ignoring growing calls from both local and foreign tourists alike to better promote its services to the wider public. In fact, the agency seems keener to focus on its auxiliary businesses, such as retail space rentals at stations, through which it hopes to make some quick cash, with limited success.
Retail spaces only make money if there is foot traffic, and for as long as Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue Grand Station) and other major stations remain devoid of passengers, there is no way the SRT can make a sustainable profit from leasing the space.
The only way the SRT can make the retail area more popular is by increasing train services to attract more travellers who will spend at those outlets. But how can it do so given its current constraints? Reservations for the most popular routes, which regularly sell out in a matter of hours, can now be made three months in advance, but as the number of seats available remains the same, all the SRT effectively achieved was to increase competition for the most popular dates. Seats on seasonal services to popular destinations, such as the "Floating Train" excursion to Lop Buri, are even harder to come by, and all information is provided solely in Thai, making reservations by non-Thais even more of a challenge.
Furthermore, there are few dedicated services to tourist hotspots such as Ayutthaya and Hua Hin, meaning those who plan to take the train there must wait for a service to the North or South, respectively, to depart. Not a big problem, until one realises that travellers have to choose between a very early or an extremely late departure time, both of which can be an inconvenience.
Many countries have started to promote rail transport as an alternative to flying, especially over short distances. France, for instance, has taken steps to limit the number of short-haul domestic flights in an effort to reduce its overall carbon emissions. From May 22, 2022, airlines were prohibited from serving any journeys which can be covered by a 2.5-hour train ride, effectively banning local flights from Paris-Orly to regional centres such as Bordeaux, Lyon and Nantes.
It is time for the government to wake up and take steps to lift the SRT out of its slump. After all, how can an agency which has a monopoly on railway management have consistently failed to report a profit since its founding almost a century ago?