Thai-Made Luxury Coach Handed to SRT for Safety Tests

THAILAND: A Thai-made luxury coach has been handed to the State Railway of Thailand after trials, with further safety testing planned before deployment on 200–500 km tourist routes.

SRT receives the prototype after extensive trials

At the July 3 ceremony at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong terminus, the State Railway of Thailand said the coach had completed more than 10,000 km of operational testing. The handover is the project’s latest confirmed milestone; it does not mean the vehicle has entered regular passenger service.

The prototype, known as Beyond Horizon, was developed through the Thai-Made Train project led by King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. Sinogen–PinPetch Joint Venture was the primary assembly and manufacturing contractor, while government research funding supported the programme.

The project’s earlier testing programme brought together the university, SRT and Thailand’s competitiveness funding body. SRT puts the prototype’s domestically produced component share at 44.1%.

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Massage seats and an accessible compartment

The coach has 25 seats: eight Super Luxury seats and 17 Luxury seats. Electric massage functions are joined by USB ports, an infotainment system and YouTube connectivity, while a dedicated compartment is designed for wheelchair users.

Its modular steel frame is designed for a maximum speed of 120 km/h, and SRT says the structure is 22% lighter. The development also drew on air-conditioning and Internet of Things expertise intended to improve maintenance efficiency and passenger services.

Tourist operation depends on further safety checks

SRT Governor Anan Phonimdaeng said the operator would carry out comprehensive safety tests before using the coach on tourist routes of approximately 200–500 km. A route and start date for passenger operation have not been announced.

Yodchanan Wongsawat, Minister for Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, said domestic coach manufacturing could reduce imports, create value for local producers and strengthen Thailand’s industrial supply chain. The next confirmed step is operator testing rather than an immediate service launch.

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