Ban Phachi – Chiang Mai railway line

Ban Phachi – Chiang Mai
Reception building Chiang Mai
Route length:	661.5 km
Gauge :	1000/1435 mm
Top speed:	160 km / h
Legend Nordostbahn of Bangkok 89.95 Ban Phachi Junction Northeast Railway to Nakhon Ratchasima 93.58 Don Ya Nang 96.44 Nong Wiwat 99.16 Ban Plak Raet 102.3 Mae Nam Pasak , Chakri double bridge (103 and 105 m) 102.73 Tha Ruea 108.78 Ban Mo 116.56 Nong Don 121.72 Ban Klap 127.44 Ban Pa Wai 132.81 Lopburi 137.51 Tha Khae 144.38 Khok Kathiam 150.08 Nong Tao 154.93 Nong Saikhao 161.22 Ban Mi 165.94 Huai Kaeo 170.33 Phai Yai 172.90 Rongrian Chan Sen 173.86 Chan Sen 176.79 Ban Kok Kwao 180.20 Chong Khae 187.37 Thale Wa 188.65 Phong Thong 193.01 Ban Takhli 198.80 Dong Maku 204.60 Hua Wai Operating route 211.44 Nong Pho 217.22 Hua Ngio 221.77 Ban Nong Mu 224.81 Noen Makok 231.35 Thung Namsuem 235.49 Khao Thong 245.78 Nakhon Sawan before 1956: Nong Pling Nakhon Sawan port railway 250.56 Paknam Pho 257.15 Bueng Boraphet 263.86 Thap crit 27.87 Khlong Pla Kot 280.29 Chum Saeng 290.24 Wang Krang 297.03 Bang Mun Nak 303.50 Ho krai 309.87 Dong Takhop 319.00 Taphan Hin 324.91 Huai Ket 332.60 Hua Dong 339.36 Wang Krot 346.79 Phichit 354.26 Tha Lo 362.25 Bang Krathum 366.21 Mae Thiap 375.31 Ban Mai 381.87 Bueng Phra 389.28 Phitsanulok 393.75 Ban Teng Nam 400.05 Ban Tum 405.31 Khwae Noi 414.50 Phrom Phiram 423.20 Nong Tom 432.75 Ban Bung 437.41 Ban Khon 447.55 Pichai 453.98 Rai Oi 456.99 Mae Nam Nan (Ban Dara Bridge) Ban Dara Junction – Sawankhalok railway line 458.31 Ban Dara Junction 461.80 Tha Sak 469.86 Tron 476.82 Wang Kaphi 485.17 Uttaradit 487.25 Sila At before 1961: Uttaradit May 489.35 Thao Sao 493.25 Nam rit 497.56 Ban Dan 509.36 Pang Ton Phueng 513.72 Pang Tup Khop tunnel 514.84 516.41 Khao Phuleng tunnel 516.77 517.02 Khao Phuleng 521.48 Huai Rai 525.37 Rai Klet Dao 528.22 Mae Phuak 533.94 The chai to Chiang Rai (project) 538.43 Pak Pan 546.94 Kaeng Luang 551.55 Mae Nam Yom (174 m) 554.42 Huai Mae Ta 563.86 Ban pin 574.05 Huai Mae Lan tunnel 574.18 574.43 Huai Mae Lan 578.46 Pha Khan 581.22 Pha Kho 591.07 Pang Puai Height: 395 m 600.33 Mae Chang Connection to a xylitol mine 609.16 Mae Mo 614.90 Huai Rak opened in May : 1976 622.20 Sala Pha Lat 628.45 Mae Tha 637.24 Nong Wua Thao 642.29 Nakhon Lampang 643.37 Mae Nam Wang (274 m) 647.11 Bo Haeo 654.85 Hang chat 660.98 Pang Muang 655.09 Huai Rian 671.08 Mae Tan Noi 673.67 Pang Hua Pong abandoned in 1922 676.75 Tributary of the Nam Mae Tan (120 m) 677.90 Tributary of the Nam Mae Tan (142 m) 677.97 Pang Yang 678.32 Tributary of the Nam Mae Tan (120 m) 681.58 Khun-tan tunnel 682.94 683.14 Khun Tan Height: 573 m 691.89 Tha Chomphu Height: 425 m 700.68 Sala Mae Tha 707.00 Huai Kieng 713.01 Nong Lom 724.00 Doi Ti abandoned: 1980 728.28 Kuang (120 m) 729.21 Lamphun 734.64 Pa Sao 742.78 Saraphi 751.42 Chiang Mai

The Ban Phachi – Chiang Mai railway line (also called Northern Railway ) is a 641.5 km long railway line in Thailand and an essential part of the railway connection between Bangkok and Chiang Mai .

history

Planning

Phitsanulok train station

Ticket from the northern railway

Plans of the British colonial administration in India , a railway from Burma to China from topographical leading reasons on Thai territory, the Thai government fended off because the British would have allowed better access to northern Thailand as the government in Bangkok itself. In return, However, she had to concede to build a railway line to the north herself, which the British could then connect to.

1888 design contract to Sir was Andrew Clarke left, who at the time as a canvasser for the British company Puncard, McTaggart, Lowther & Co. worked. This contract comprised a connection from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and three of them branching off in a north-easterly direction. The report on this order was available in 1890.

The start of the corresponding work was delayed because, on the one hand, the government wanted to await the legal disputes between the own railway administration under Karl Bethge and the British company Murray Campbell, which he had resigned and originally responsible for the construction of the north-east railway , and on the other hand all the state railways were available Skilled workers were tied up in the construction of the Nordostbahn.

construction

Locomotive 728 in the forecourt of Lampang station

It was not until the end of 1897 that the measurement of the first section of the northern runway between its junction from the northeast runway in Ban Phachi Junction to Lopburi began . However, the construction work began in March 1898, the opening of this 43 km long section followed on April 1, 1901, immediately after the opening of the entire route of the Northeast Railway. Technically, the parameters of the north-east line were adopted, to which the north line connected as a branch line, such as the standard gauge of 1435 mm. After the opening of this first section, however, further construction stalled because the government concentrated resources on building the southern runway .

When a rebellion broke out in the north in July 1902, it became clear how important a railway was from a military point of view. The northern line was harmless from a foreign policy point of view, while the southern line touched the interests of the British, and the construction of an eastern line touched the French colonial power in Indochina . The further construction of the northern runway was started immediately and it was gradually opened in sections:

• Ban Phachi Junction - Lopburi, 43 km on April 1, 1901
• Lopburi - Paknam Pho , 117 km on October 31, 1905
• Paknam Pho - Phitsanulok , 139 km on January 24, 1908
• Phitsanulok - Ban Dara Junction, 69 km on November 11, 1908
• Ban Dara Junction - Pang Ton Phueng , 51 km on August 15, 1909
• Pang Ton Phueng - Mae Phuak , 19 km on June 1, 1911
• Mae Phuak - Pak Pan , 10 km on November 15, 1912
• Pak Pan - Huai Mae Ta , 16 km on May 1, 1913
• Huai Mae Ta - Ban Pin , 10 km on June 15, 1914
• Ban Pin - Pha Kho , 17 km on May 1, 1915
• Pha Kho - Mae Chang , 19 km on December 15, 1915
• Mae Chang - Lampang , 42 km on April 1, 1916
• Lampang - Pang Hua Phong , 33 km on December 20, 1916
• Pang Hua Phong - Pang Yang , 4 km on July 1, 1918
• Pang Yang - Chiang Mai, 72 km on January 1, 1922

The opening of the entire northern runway was scheduled for January 1, 1922, the 41st birthday of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).

Structural features

Train in Khun Tan station

The northern line had to cross a mountain range between Den Chai and Lampang and between Lampang and Chiang Mai. For this purpose, a total of four tunnels had to be built, including the 1362 meter long Khun-Tan tunnel between Lampang and Chiang Mai, which is now the longest rail tunnel in Thailand. Its creation between March 1913 and 1917 (opened: March 1918) was headed by the German engineer Emil Eisenhofer . When Eisenhofer died very old in 1962, he was buried at the north exit of the Khun Tan tunnel. This is where the Khun Tan station is located , at 573 m the highest in the entire Thai railway network.

Like all other lines to standard gauge the northern runway was in the 1920s on meter gauge umgespurt to firstly combine the previously separate networks of the State Railways, on the other hand the connection to the meter gauge networks of the adjoining railway infrastructure of Malaysia to enable and Indochina. This was achieved in a transitional period with a three-rail track . From 1926 meter gauge trains could travel the entire route, in 1930 the removal of the third track for standard-gauge vehicles was completed.

In 2002/2003 the line to Lopburi was expanded to double tracks.

project

It is planned to double-track another 354 km of the line from Lopburi to Sila-At.

As early as 1997, the government approved the construction of a 246 km long branch line Den Chai – Chiang Rai , and since 2001 the procurement of the necessary land has begun. However, the project got stuck due to a lack of funds.

business

Running sign on train no.2: Chiang Mai-Bangkok

Historical

Night transport and sleeping cars were introduced in the 1920s . Until then, long-distance journeys were interrupted for overnight stays. The Royal State Railways (RSR) maintained hotels at large train stations. The travel time from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was then 25 ½ hours.

On May 20, 1988, a serious rail accident occurred near Ban Takhli : A loaded 10-ton truck broke the barrier of a level crossing and hit a train in the flank. Several passenger cars were badly damaged, some derailed and got stuck in the construction of a bridge on which the route crossed an irrigation canal, or fell into the canal. 27 people died and 22 were also injured.

Current

Today five pairs of trains run the entire length of the route, three more between Bangkok and Phitsanulok . In Bangkok, all trains use Hua Lamphong Station . The trains that run here include the renowned Thai Railways train, train pair No. 1 / No. 2, a night train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai , the only 1st class sleeping car and air-conditioned 2nd class sleeping car as well as a dining car leads. As a fast daytime connection, a diesel multiple unit runs under the DRC train type , which only has air-conditioned 2nd class seats .

literature

• BR Whyte: The Railway Atlas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia . White Lotus Co Ltd, Bangkok 2010, ISBN 978-974-480-157-9

Remarks

1. ↑ The kilometers are calculated from the Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok.
2. ↑ The SRT operated a number of routes like this, which in the time when steam locomotives were used to drive firewood from the forests along the railway line.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Information from Whyte: Railway Atlas , p. 19ff.
2. ^ Whyte: Railway Atlas , pp. 11f.
3. ^ Whyte: Railway Atlas , p. 21.
4. ↑ Information from: Whyte: Railway Atlas , p. 24f.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Whyte: Railway Atlas , p. 22.
6. ^ Whyte: Railway Atlas , pp. 24, 29.
7. ^ Whyte: Railway Atlas , p. 3.
8. ^ Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 214.
9. ↑ Information from: The Man in Seat 61: Train Travel in Thailand .