SRT opens new double-track section

27 May 2025 by Supoj Wancharoen | BangkokPost

State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor, Veeris Ammarapala, yesterday inspected the newly upgraded rail tracks between Khok Kathiam and Pak Nam Pho stations during the line’s official opening.

The section now features double tracks, allowing it to handle more rail traffic to and from the North.

The upgrade is part of a bigger project which will see a part of the Northern Line, from Ban Klap station in Saraburi to Pak Nam Pho in Nakhon Sawan, upgraded to feature double tracks in a bid to improve its handling capacity.

The entire route is 148 kilometres long and covers 19 stations as well as five halts. A new central traffic control centre in Nakhon Sawan and a freight container yard at Khao Thong station will also be built as part of the project.

The project included the construction of Thailand’s longest elevated railway section between Ban Klap and Khok Kathiam stations, which spans a total distance of 19km.

In addition, a new station, Lop Buri 2, located alongside Highway 366, is expected to open in December.

The project is divided into three contracts: Contract 1, which includes the 32-km section between Ban Klap–Khok Kathiam section and the construction of Lop Buri 2 station; Contract 2, which covers the 116-km section between Tha Khae and Pak Nam Pho; and Contract 3, which covers the installation of a modern signalling system that is expected to be completed by January next year.

With the new double-track section now operational, the SRT will adjust the schedules of five Northern Line trains starting on Friday.

These include Rapid Train 102 Chiang Mai–Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station, Ordinary Train 207 Bangkok (Hua Lamphong)–Nakhon Sawan, Ordinary Train 210 Ban Takhli–Bangkok (Hua Lamphong), Ordinary Train 211 Bangkok (Hua Lamphong)–Taphan Hin and Local Train 408 Chiang Mai–Nakhon Sawan.