Paknam Railway Company (1886–1936) State Railway of Thailand (1936–1960)
Locale
Central Thailand
Termini
Hua Lamphong
Pak Nam
Stations
23
Service
Type
Tram
History
Opened
11 April 1893 (1893-04-11)
Successor
Rama IV Road
Closed
1 January 1960 (1960-01-01)
Technical
Line length
21 km (13 mi)
Number of tracks
2
Track gauge
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Route map
Legend
0.0km
Hua Lamphong
Saphan Sawang
Saphan Lueang
Sam Yan
Sathan Saowapha
2.3km
Sala Daeng
Sathon Witthayu
Talat Khlong Toei
5.2km
Khlong Toei
7.1km
Ban Kluai
Kluai Nam Thai
Khlong Prawet Burirom
8.9km
Phra Khanong
Khlong Suan Oi
Phra Khanong Witthayalai
10.5km
Bang Chak
12.0km
Bang Na
14.8km
Samrong
Khlong Samrong
17.0km
Chorakhe
18.8km
Bang Nang Kreng
Rongrian Chumphon Thahan Ruea
20.0km
Mahawong
Khlong Samrong branch
Sala Klang
21.3km
Paknam (Samut Prakan)
The Paknam Railway was Thailand's first railway line, established in 1893. Stretching 21 km (13 mi), it was a narrow gauge line. The line was constructed by the Paknam Railway Company established by a British navigator Alfred John Loftus and the Danish naval commander Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu[1]: 33 . Construction commenced on 10
July 1891.[2] The company was granted a 20-year concession[3] to run the line. The opening of the railway on 11 April 1893 was attended by King Rama V who had in fact invested half of the 400,000 Baht funding required for construction of the line[1]: 35 .[4]
Initially, there were four steam locomotives constructed by Krauss & Co. of Munich,[5] and four trains ran in each direction daily. There were twelve stations in all, with trains taking one hour to travel over the line.[6] The line was initially a financial success. A motor-tramway service was introduced in 1908 and the line was electrified in 1926. After the end of the concession period, the line was purchased outright by the government in 1936 but there was little further investment in the line. By this time competition from buses running between Bangkok and Paknam was already impacting the railway's finances. During World War II the railway enjoyed a resurgence due to the impact of fuel shortages on the bus companies. Services were temporarily suspended in 1942 due to record flooding in Bangkok but services were restored soon after with twelve trips daily.[1]: 101–103 .
After the end of World War II, competition with buses and private cars again increased and by the 1950s the railway was operating at a loss. Several plans for modernisation were proposed but none were realised. In the end the Paknam Railway was closed at the end of 1959 to allow for the construction of Rama IV Road.[1]: 147–148 .
^ abcdKakizaki, Ichiro (2014). Trams, Buses, and Rails: The History of Urban Transport in Bangkok, 1886-2010. Silkworm Press. ISBN 9786162150807.
^Talbot, Frederick A. (2012-01-01). Railway Wonders of the World. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 9783846005279.
^Wright, Arnold (1908). Twentieth century impressions of Siam: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, with which is incorporated an abridged edition of Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya. London: Lloyd's Greater Britain Pub. Co. p. 202.
^"Newspaper Article - OPENING OF THE PAKNAM RAILWAY". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
^Barrow, Richard. "Quest for the Paknam Steam Train". Thai Blogs. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
The PaknamRailway was Thailand's first railway line, established in 1893. Stretching 21 km (13 mi), it was a narrow gauge line. The line was constructed...
Lamphong by Thais. Hua Lamphong railway station actually was a name of another railway station of private PaknamRailway Line which operated before the...
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen (Thai: วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ, RTGS: Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen) is a royal wat ('temple') located in Phasi Charoen district, Bangkok...
as a gift from Queen Victoria. The country's first railway line, the PaknamRailway, was built under a 50-year concession with a Danish company and opened...
of the PaknamRailway on 11 April 1893. The Kingdom of Siam, the country's name at that time, now known as Thailand. The first Siamese railway projects...
hospitals. The roads were soon augmented by rail transport, as the PaknamRailway (the country's first line) opened along Thanon Trong in 1893, and electrified...
British and French territories. Disputes with the French resulted in the Paknam Incident in 1893, when the French sent gunboats up the Chao Phraya to blockade...
railway station, more commonly known locally as "Hua Lamphong", on the former location of Hua Lamphong railway station, the origin of PaknamRailway,...
King Mongkut) – Was located opposite to Samut Prakan Station of the PaknamRailway; now demolished. Chan Kasem Royal Palace Ayutthaya (16th century) –...
the area consisted of paddy fields far from the city centre. When the PaknamRailway was built around 1893, linking Bangkok to Samut Prakan, a station was...
of meter-gauge railway tracks not including mass transit lines in Bangkok. All national rail services are managed by the State Railway of Thailand. The...
drained to make way for an extension of the road. The PaknamRailway, Thailand's first railway line, followed the route of Rama IV Road from 1893 until...
methods: Chaoroen Krung road, opened in 1864. First railway line, first electric railway service: PaknamRailway, established in 1893, electrified in 1959 First...
first rail line was the private PaknamRailway linking Bangkok to Samut Prakan which opened in 1893. The national railway network was subsequently developed...
by the SRT, such as the PaknamRailway, the Phra Phutthabat Railway, the Bang Bua Thong Railway etc. The majority of railway stations/halts listed were...
(Bangkok railway station). Its name is assumed to be from its location near Paknam Yothaka (Yothaka estuary), where is a confluence of rivers Prachinburi and...
Talat Phlu can be reached by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)'s Talat Phlu railway station on Mae Klong Railway Line. The area is close to Talat Phlu...
พระยาชลยุทธโยธินทร์). He commanded forces at the Phra Chulachomklao Fortress in the Paknam Incident of 13 July 1893, that ended the Franco-Siamese crisis, and went...
Wat Hong Rattanaram Wat Ko Wat Kalayanamitr (Big Buddha) Wat Mahathat Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen Wat Pathum Khongkha Wat Pathum Wanaram Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)...
Wat Hong Rattanaram Wat Ko Wat Kalayanamitr (Big Buddha) Wat Mahathat Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen Wat Pathum Khongkha Wat Pathum Wanaram Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)...
area Wat Paknam Fang Tai Bang Sao Thong Police Station Wat Wichitkarnnimit (Wat Nang) Thonburi Commercial College Taling Chan area Wat Paknam Fang Nuea...
Wat Hong Rattanaram Wat Ko Wat Kalayanamitr (Big Buddha) Wat Mahathat Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen Wat Pathum Khongkha Wat Pathum Wanaram Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)...
was often called the Father of the Thai radio and the Father of the Thai railways, due to his contributions in both fields. Prince Purachatra Jayakara was...
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