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Article: SRT struggles to overcome political obstacles: Thailand has plans to invest heavily in upgrading the national rail network, but inadequate revenues, debt, and political unrest still pose major challenges for the country's railway.(Thailand)
- Article from:
- International Railway Journal
- Article date:
- January 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
SITUATED at the heart of the Asia-Pacific region, Thailand is ideally positioned to benefit from the increasing levels of trade between its neighbours. Indeed, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) network is central to the proposed 5382km Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL), which will connect southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand with Malaysia and Singapore.
Today's network carries very little cross-border traffic, a reflection of the missing links with neighbouring countries. Thailand's only operational cross-border connections are with Malaysia, although a line from Nong Khai to the Laotian capital Vientiane is ...