14 INTERVIEW
Enhancing the standard and quality of the Thai railway industry through German-Thai partnerships Prof. Dr. -Ing. Nisai Fuengwarodsakul The German-Thai Railway Association (GTRA) is Thailand’s first and only association with a mission to support railway co-operation between Germany and Thailand. It was formed on 23 November 2016 to carry out activities in the framework of the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between the Thai Ministry of Transport and the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The goal was to enhance German-Thai collaboration in developing railway industry and service quality in Thailand. GTRA was officially registered in September 2021 to act on legal activities, partnership management and so forth. In this interview, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Nisai Fuengwarodsakul, GTRA Chairman, discussed the association’s history, activities and the future. Prof. Dr.-Ing Fuengwarodsakul is also Dean of the Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB). What are the important and unique roles of GTRA? Associations such as GTRA are founded around the world to drive partnerships and activities. As for our activities, we focus on boosting the collaboration of German-Thai partners as the key point in developing the quality of railway transportation in Thailand as well as supporting the development of the value chains in Thailand. To reach those goals, the Thai-German collaboration will support the Thai railway industry in learning state-of-the-art and highstandard technology from the German counterpart. The railway system in Germany is wellknown and recognised as one of the leaders for its quality. Therefore, we think that joining hands with Germany could help expedite the development of our railway technology and our railway service quality to reach the same level in a short time. In addition, we also focus on developing the supply chain in Thailand’s railway business in order to build-up the attractiveness for Thailand as the manufacturing base in the region.
UPDATE 3/2022
