Developing the Thai railway system with the support of German expertise

Dipl.-Ing. Axel Schuppe

Germany is considered a pioneer in rail development with its advanced rail technology, and Thailand has benefited from the expertise of the German rail industry for decades. This interview features Dipl.-Ing. Axel Schuppe, General Manager of the German Railway Industry Association (VDB) discussing the railway development in Germany with regard to zero-emission transport and digitalization, and how this development can also be driven forward in Thailand. He also explains how, with the help of VDB, these developments can be supported both in Germany and in Thailand.

What are the major transitions and challenges in railway technology up the 21st century?

I think that the biggest challenge is global warming and climate change. As a provider of railway technology and railway transport solutions, we don’t want to be part of the problem. However, we are and we want to be a part of the solution and contribute to the fight against global warming by making transport greener and emission-free.

What are the key differences between the German and Thai railway systems in your opinion?

There are three main areas I would like to discuss – passenger transportation in urban areas, passenger transportation on long distance main lines and freight transportation by rail. If you look at the mass transport situation, I think Germany does not have huge urban areas like Bangkok with its population of more than 15 million inhabitants. In Germany, the biggest city is Berlin with almost 4 million inhabitants. You may compare Bangkok with the whole State of North Rhine-Westphalia with 12 million inhabitants, but Bangkok is a large melting pot with – I assume - huge transportation issues. So, there are other challenges.

“ I think the best step towards climate neutrality is to shift from other transport modes to rail.”

Regarding the main lines, Europe and Germany have larger networks, while Thailand's network may have opportunities to be expanded. Thailand’s focus should be on the mainline rail routes within South-East Asian countries to connect the major urban areas such as Bangkok, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, down to Singapore or upwards to Vientiane. Regarding freight transport, I think that the freight rail system is well-established in Germany and could be further developed in Thailand, perhaps for transporting goods from the main industrial areas to the ports at the coast or other places.

The most visible difference is the meter gauge rail track system in Thailand and the standard gauge of 1,435 millimeters in Germany.

How have Germany’s railway systems been transformed to being digital and cleaner? What is the role of VDB in accelerating that development?

VDB’s main task is to increase the share of electrified lines, because electrified transport is almost emission free. Germany currently has a 60 per cent share and the political goal is to reach 75 per cent by 2030. The two other main tools are digitization and automation, which aim to (a) upgrade to a unified, modern, digitized signalling and control system for the railway, and (b) further advance automation and to enable automatic train operation. Furthermore, we have a shortage of skilled labor because of the demographic development in Europe. In order to attract enough highly-trained workers in the future it is, therefore, of the utmost importance to offer modern and attractive workplaces in railway operations.

These are the main challenges: electrification, digitalization, and automation.

What are the main lessons learnt from that development, which can benefit Thailand?

The most important lesson when looking at the value chain is that it starts with political willingness and continues through to public budgeting. Next, it's about how money flows into the value chain for constructing rail infrastructure and operating trains; for that you have many partners, starting with planning and ending with authorisation. Depending on the defined goals, communication and trust within this value chain are the most significant factors in achieving success. That is exactly what we do for the implementers of electrification. The VDB unites all companies from planning, through technology production to the approval of the final product. We are greasing the wheels of the industry, so that they have a framework and fun for working together.

Would you include the topic of ticket system in Thailand in the field of digitalization?

Ticketing is a question of operating a railway system, and we in VDB have solutions to facilitate it. However, I think the question is how to do that, and the operators need to implement beneficial solutions for public transport together. In Germany, ticketing is always a big debate. As reaction to the Covid-19 crisis during the past three years, Germany has decided to establish an across-the-board ticket for urban mass transport for nine euros per month. A very interesting discussion took place with all the public transport authorities in Germany on how to approach and implement the comprehensive ticket. The politicians, who wanted to have such a ticket, held a huge round-table session with the transport authorities and operators to discuss the ticket design. If intelligent technology is required for these solutions, you can find it within the companies of the VDB. This is our support role.

What will be the scope of VDB’s support and the area of technology from Germany that will be suitable for enhancing Thailand’s railway development?

I think German industry already maintains a good footprint in rail transport in Thailand. When looking at Bangkok's public transport system, like Sky Train and the monorail, you can find famous German brands like Siemens or Alstom. This is a good base for further co-operation and development. What matters is that quality, reliability, availability and the latest technology should be maintained throughout the rail system’s entire service life. Customers in the rail industry expect results. This is an area in which we have long-standing experience, and the German rail industry is ready to co-operate and make its contribution in the future.

The second point is that rail technology has a very complex value chain. You need many companies behind the system integrators with solutions to increase quality, reliability, availability and safety to succeed. With the power of smaller medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of VDB and committed to co-operation, we could help Thailand to further develop its rail system for mass transit, main lines and freight trains.

The targets in Europe have been set to become climate-neutral by 2050. How can the German railway industry achieve this target, and what should be the priority of Thailand’s railway industry for reaching clean mobility?

I think the best step towards climate neutrality is to shift from other transport modes to rail. The general target in Germany is to bring the modal split for freight transportation to be on rail from 19 to 25 per cent by 2030. For passenger transportation, the target is to double the transport performance. What could the rail system contribute else? I think technology is only one part; the most important thing is to increase the share of electrified transportation by electrifying more lines, as previously mentioned. However, this is not always a very fast solution. Thus, it will be necessary to use other solutions. We have other products in our portfolio, such as battery-operated or hydrogen-operated trains that are now proven technology. The hydrogen trains now have ranges up to 1,000 kilometers per charge, while the battery trains are increasing in usage. We are now able to reach 150 kilometers per one battery charge.

How can Thailand implement the concept of “from road to rail”?

When I first visited Bangkok in 1997, the first lines of Sky Train were already established, with the final stop at the Chao Phraya River (Saphan Taksin station). At that time, it was considered to be a very modern system, but I would say that the passenger numbers then were still manageable. Nowadays, the mass transit lines have been extended. When I visited Bangkok in May 2022, I was impressed by the system with its many lines and interchange stations. As the trains are also widely used and accepted by the public, it shows me that politics and the public transport authorities have done much to make the system attractive to the public. For the future, I have a vision that Bangkok still has many surrounding areas and urban quarters in the city outskirts which might be made easily accessible by tramways as well. This needs to be carefully planned, financed and established, requirements with which I think VDB can provide considerable assistance.

Contact details:

Axel Schuppe, General Manager, German Railway Industry Association (VDB) e.V., info@bahnindustrie.info, www.bahnindustrie.info