BANGKOK, 9 March 2013 The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan on safe and convenient transportation for the public during this year’s Songkran Festival. Relevant units were asked to provide sufficient trips for passengers.
Deputy Government Spokesman Phakdeeharn Himathongkham said the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) would prepare 242 trains for 95,000 passengers a day during Songkran. Each train will have 1-2 extra cars to accommodate 10,000 more passengers per day. There will also be an addition of special outbound trains from 11-12 April and special inbound trains from 15-18 April, which will help ensure sufficient services for another 52,000 people each day.
Moreover, the number of public buses will be increased on 108 routes in Bangkok and the vicinity in order to facilitate people’s commute to interprovincial bus terminals. The Transport Co., Ltd. will add more long-haul bus trips to serve 800,000 departing passengers and 615,000 arriving passengers during the holiday period. Bus operators have also been urged to provide shuttle services between bus terminals and villages in remote areas for the convenience of those returning to their hometowns.
As for air transportation, there will be 26 special flights with a total of 7,656 seats operating to and from main destinations, such as Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi, from 11-16 April.
