State Railway of Thailand Testing CNG as Replacement for Diesel

5 August 2005

Thai News Agency. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will test the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in its locomotives.

SRT will collaborate work with PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) in using CNG in its locomotives for a six-month trial period. Should the tests prove successful, CNG will eventually replace diesel altogether.

The company estimates that it could cut diesel imports by some 450,000 liters per year and cut fuel costs by not less than 5.4 million baht (US$ 131,000) annually for each locomotive.

The SRT has modified the engines in the test locomotives and built 40-foot CNG tanks to hold the fuel. Testing begins on 8 August with trial service on a 119-kilometer run between the Inland Container Depot at Lad Krabang and Lam Chabang Deep Sea Port.