Nine Chinese-made air-conditioned trains scheduled to arrive in Thailand at the end of the month are certain to "wow" commuters after 21 years of a far-from-perfect service, according to the state railway boss.
Having built a bad reputation in recent years as a result of its old carriages, derailments and lack of punctuality, the State Railway of Thailand is confident its new trains will serve passengers cooler, fresher and safer trips.
SRT governor Wutthichart Kalayanamitr also promised the trains would get passengers to their destinations on time.
The new trains will be put into service from Aug 11 on the Bangkok to Chiang Mai route, which is nicknamed the Rose of the North, according to the SRT.
Other popular routes -- Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani, Bangkok-Nong Khai and Bangkok-Hat Yai -- will be established soon after.
Passengers will be impressed by the "completely different services", said Mr Wutthichart, referring to the new facilities that CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co has installed.
The Chinese manufacturer has also been hired to build new trains for the BTS.
Passenger seats will be coloured dark red with reddish-pink pads, while those in the kitchen carriages are light green to mimic the colour of young banana leaves.
Mr Wutthichart said the trains have been made to resemble planes and have only ovens onboard, as opposed to actual kitchens, to warm food.
The toilets are similar to those on a plane. Each passenger seat will be equipped with a screen allowing travellers to order food at the touch of a button.
There are a total of 115 carriages in the nine trains. Nine of them are power cars which supply electricity to passenger compartments.
The first carriages will be shipped to Laem Chabang sea port in Chon Buri later this month. It is the SRT's first purchase of new stock since it bought trains from South Korea in 1995.
It was a long process getting the trains, which are worth 4.6 billion baht, Mr Wutthichart said.
"The cabinet gave the green light in 2010, but the contract was signed on October 17 last year," he said.
As for security, closed circuit television cameras have been installed in the carriages.
The SRT has also boosted safety by buying 20 new locomotives and replacing old wooden railway sleepers with stronger concrete ones, Mr Wutthichart said.
It is expected the trains will run faster and be more punctual after the changes. More importantly, Mr Wutthichart said, accidents will decline.
The SRT is also working with the Railway Police Division to increase the number of security officers on trains. He said each train will need well-trained volunteers to help officers look out for irregularities.
The safety issues will require the debt-ridden SRT to spend more money, but it is an important and worthwhile expenditure, Mr Wutthichart said.