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  • Double-track railway: how far has it gotten?

    Double-track railway: how far has it gotten?

    Our people’s network has tracked the double-track railway programme for a while, and we’ve fallen behind. Let’s catch up. The double-track railway is the heart of the 20-year national strategy. Rail carries only 2.0% of Thailand’s🇹🇭 freight while roads take 78.7%, and logistics costs run about 15% of GDP. The plan grows the network from 4,507 km in 47 provinces to 6,926 km in 61. Phase 1 covers 7 routes and 993 km at 124,073.74 million baht; the Chachoengsao–Kaeng Khoi, Thanon Chira Junction–Khon Kaen and Nakhon Pathom–Chumphon (421 km) sections are already open. Phase 2 adds 6 routes and 1,249…

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  • Disability Employment: A Coin with Two Sides

    Disability Employment: A Coin with Two Sides

    People with disabilities keep telling me: disability employment Thailand has had a law for nearly 19 years, yet good jobs stay out of reach. Some 2.31 million hold disability ID cards (July 2026 data); a 2022 survey found 4.19 million people with disabilities – over half never registered. Of 800,000+ working-age people, only about 1 in 4 is employed, and 28.9% of school-age children with disabilities are outside education. The Act opens three channels: 🔸Section 33: direct hiring – 1 per 100 non-disabled staff 🔸Section 34: ~120,000 baht/year per quota into the fund 🔸Section 35: alternatives – concessions, subcontracting, internships…

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  • Tactile paving: the right spacing

    Tactile paving: the right spacing

    Still on tactile paving. This time: how much clearance does a guide path need so blind people can walk safely? Know first how blind pedestrians walk. Some straddle the line and tap ahead with their cane. Others walk alongside on their preferred side, brushing the edge with foot or cane to stay oriented. Both styles need a straight, open path. A cane sweep covers about 120 centimeters, so tactile paving spacing from poles and trees must be generous — never squeezed tight as we so often see. The problem: Thailand’s🇹🇭 sidewalk rules never mention obstacle distance. The 2021 Ministerial Regulation…

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  • Why should tactile paving be yellow?

    Why should tactile paving be yellow?

    I’m glad tactile paving is now a standard feature of sidewalks. But I still see blind spots from design to construction. Let’s talk about yellow tactile paving. ISO 23599 only requires visual contrast — no color mandated. Japan’s🇯🇵 JIS T 9251 controls shape and luminance only. Japanese guidelines require luminance ratio ≥2.0 and brightness difference ≥5, and built examples around Japan use a variety of colors. Thailand🇹🇭: ministerial regulations (2005, 2021) only say tactile paving must differ in texture AND color — yellow is never named. So why start with yellow? 1️⃣ Yellow is the traffic warning color. Under ISO…

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