Bangkok (AFP)

With its bluish, orange and green stained-glass windows, the historic Bangkok train station lent itself to the reverie of departures but no longer to the logistical ambitions of a megalopolis of 10 million inhabitants: most of its rail activities will be diverted eight kilometers more far.

Hua Lamphong station, an elegant neo-renaissance building nestled in the heart of the old shabby neighborhoods of the Thai capital, will shut down some of its lines from November, before its probable transformation into a museum and commercial space.

The end of an era for the some 37 million travelers who walked its quays every year amidst sweating porters and street vendors.

Destination: Chiang Mai, the pearl of the North, the cities of the South to Malaysia, the banks of the Mekong ...

- Glass and steel juggernaut -

Departures and arrivals will now be at Bang Sue, a glass and steel monster built eight kilometers further north, near the famous Chatuchak flea market.

In the concourse of Hua Lamphong station, in Bangkok, on June 22, 2021 Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

Covering an area of ​​nearly 300,000 m2, eight times the size of the Gare du Nord in Paris, Bang Sue will be one of the largest rail hubs in Asia and will be able to accommodate up to 600,000 passengers per day.

It will connect the two airports, the main cities of the country and, in the more distant future, at high speed, Singapore, Laos and China.

This new station is "a driving force behind Thailand's ambition to become the largest rail transport center in Asean" (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), welcomed in 2020 the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

- Tourist ambition -

Bang Sue is also a key redevelopment for one of the world's leading tourist destinations.

Before the pandemic struck, Thailand received nearly 40 million visitors a year, the vast majority passing through Bangkok.

Hua Lamphong station is located in the heart of the old quarters of Bangkok Jonathan KLEIN AFP

Once foreign travelers return, the government hopes the new station will help them gain easy access to more of the country, including remote areas that are in dire need of an economic boost.

Transferring the lines from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue is a logistical challenge.

The dusty diesel michelines will be stored in the hangars, incompatible with the new rails.

"We bought and leased new electric locomotives," says Siripong Preutthipan, deputy governor of the National Railway of Thailand (SRT).

"Only trains of this type will be able to pass through Bang Sue".

The new station is far from unanimous.

The new Bang Sue station, in Bangkok, August 20, 2021 Jonathan KLEIN AFP

Located in the heart of the megalopolis, Hua Lamphong was popular with the thousands of workers and students who move from the suburbs to the center every day.

This change "will greatly affect them," reports Sawit Kaewvarn, president of the rail workers' union, to AFP.

They will now arrive in the north of the city and will have to travel kilometers to reach the tourist center or the business district.

And "the new electric trains which will make the shuttle with the suburbs will be much more expensive than the diesel trains which they borrow daily", worries Sawit Kaewvarn.

- Relieve congestion -

In the meantime, the authorities are working to improve connections between Bang Sue and the various districts of the city.

Objective: relieve congestion in the megalopolis, which is sorely lacking in connections, as travelers fall back on crowded buses, boats and motorcycle taxis.

The closure of Hua Lamphong marks the end of an era for the many street vendors.

A train performs a test at the new Bang Suen station in Bangkok, June 22, 2021 Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

"What's going to happen now? My business will go down considerably," sighs Sutanya Sangrit, who has been running a small food stand near the train station for 39 years.

A project is under study to transform "the great lady", built by the Italian architect Mario Tamagno at the beginning of the 20th century, into a museum and commercial space.

To the regret of a number of locals who find that Bangkok already has enough gigantic shopping centers.

© 2021 AFP