The Maeklong Line was built as a short private coastal line around 107 years ago by the Maeklong railway company. This line is the second part of the Maeklong commuter railway system. The system consists of the Wong Wien Yai to Mahachai and the Ban Laem to Maeklong lines. This line was taken over by the “City of Maeklong” and SRT in the 1960s. This line has one of the lowest line speeds in Thailand averaging only 30kph for the whole line. With large sections under 20kph.
Today the line is operated by a single Japanese DMU railcar. SRT unit numbers 1210 and 1213. These where built in the 1980s in Japan for use as commuter DMUs on the main system and for use on the Maeklong commuter system. The Maeklong line only has one train set available for use at anytime. This is due to the line being 100% isolated from any other railway.
As a result of this the dedicated people at SRT have to make sure that the train keeps running in service no matter what. This unit hit a truck in 2006 and damaged the front end. They have tried to patch up the damage recently with sheets of metal and some kind of glue. No Freight trains operate on this line passenger trains only operate now days. Freight did operate in the past. Also this line does not have a signal system like is found on the main system or on other railways around the world. There is only one train it is not possible for it hit another train.
The train timetable for this line is:
Ban Laem to Maeklong runs at 7.30 am, 10.10 am, 1.10 pm and 4.40 pm.
Maeklong to Ban Laem runs at 6.20 am, 9.00 am, 11.30 am and 3.30 pm.
The trip takes 1 hour end to end.
PICTURE QUALITY NOTES: Due to the pictures being taken late in the day some images may be darker or brighter than normal as the sun was low in the sky and behind the train most of the way. Also this line is very hard to photograph due to the dirty windows on the ends of the train and the trains rough motion.
1. This is an image of the Ban Laem station area. The starting point for my journey on the Maeklong line. To get here you take a cross-river ferry from Mahachai city. Taken looking west from the remains of the Ban Laem rail yard.
2. Another view of Ban Laem station. Looking east towards the river. The building next to the rail tractor is the ticket office.
3. This is an image of SRT Rail tractor Unit 17. This appears to have been used to carry ballast for the line in the past. It’s not known if it still works, as it has not moved an inch in years.
4. Another angle on the rail tractor. The age of this rail vehicle is not known. Taken from next to the ticket office.
5. This is the train timetable at Ban Laem station. The trains are almost always on time and the times are very rarely changed.
If you want to see more pictures of the Maeklong line please visit
http://thaitransit.blogspot.com/2008/02 ... ilway.html
http://thaitransit.blogspot.com/
19. This is a short movie showing the ride quality of the Maeklong train and its rear driving cab. Most for the line runs though salt farms and prawn farms. The track is very rough and in poor condition for most of the line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jNCAaa5Wr8
27. This is a movie showing what its like to ride the Maeklong train over one of the many humpback rail bridges. It can be quite bumpy plus it slows the train down as the humpback bridge creates a steep grade up and then down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zwEwP73x8E
36. This is a Movie of the final approach and the passing of the train though the Maeklong railway market. This film shows why this railway is so special for rail fans and tourists. It’s the way this market opens and closes around the moving train. This occurs 8 times a day every day of the week. Maeklong station is the end of the market and the line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ShmXmvNKWk
37. This Maeklong station. The end of the line. This is the ticket office. Buses are available here to Pak Tho and Ratchburi on the main south line. These buses take about an hour to get there.
This is an overview of the Maeklong line as it stands now and has for the last 107 years. However this line is being considered for a major upgrade within the next 15 years. This upgrade will put an end to the railway market. The upgrade will involve running a 4 track tunnel from Hualamphong to somewhere after Talat Phlu station near Bangkok and then running the 4 lines all the way to Mahachai which will be in an new deep underground station along with Ban Laem and Tha Chalom stations.
The Maeklong line its self will be double track in the future and Maeklong station will be deep underground too as the line will be extended to Pak Tho and become the new main south line as it cuts 90 minutes off the journey time for trains on the current main south line. Also the line speeds will be increased from an average of 30 kph to 120kph after the upgrade. For the moment this project is still at planning stage. However, if you want to see or ride this line its best to make the trip in the next few years as it may not exist in its current form forever.
I hope you find the pictures and vehicles shown to be of interest if you view this please post some comments and feelings about the pictures.
If you want to see more pictures of the Maeklong line please visit http://thaitransit.blogspot.com/
