SRT improves Hua Lamphong Station, surrounding scenery

BANGKOK, June 4 (TNA) -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has planned to improve the Bangkok Railway Station, unofficially known as Hua Lamphong Station and its surrounding scenery in celebrations of the station's 100th anniversary of services on June 25. SRT Governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra said on the occasion that the Hua Lamphong train station would be reaching its 100th anniversary since its first service to the public on June 25, 2016, the SRT has been organising a countdown activity to the mark the celebrations for the past year. It has also planned to improve the station and its surrounding scenery, so as to make sure that the train station fit its name of being one of the country's most important historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as to honour King Chulalongkorn for establishing the railway system in Thailand. The governor said for the past year, various activities have been set up to provide the history and evolution of the railway system in Thailand, such as the exhibition to celebrate the Hua Lamphong 99th anniversary on June 25-27, 2015, the symbol designing competition for the 100th year of the Bangkok train station, along with the printings of a book and stamps in celebration of the station's 100th anniversary. The SRT head said that the Bangkok or Hua Lamphong train station is the oldest station in the country, built in the reign of King Rama V, where the architectural design was a combination between the Italian and Renaissance style similar to the one constructed in Germany's Frankfurt. The Bangkok train station provided its first services to the public on June 25, 1916 and since has become the main station in Thailand, operation around 200 train routs daily. (TNA)