20 RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY
German business delegation on railway technology: The Future is Rail The German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) successfully organised a delegation trip for German companies to Thailand between 9 and 13 May 2022, with a focus on the exchange of knowledge in the area of technology solutions in the railway sector. On the first day, the delegation gained firsthand knowledge of Thailand's economy and political situation during a Thailand briefing led by Mr. Marius Mehner, GTCC Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Hans-Ulrich Südbeck from the German Embassy Bangkok and Mr. Thomas Hundt from GTAI (Germany Trade & Invest). Later in the afternoon, the delegation visited the SRT Electrified Train (SRTET) maintenance centre as well as the operation centre at Bang Sue Grand Station. They had a roundtrip ride on the SRT Dark Red Line, “Bang Sue-Don Mueang”. The Red Line Mass Transit System began full commercial service in November 2021. On the following day, the delegates joined the German-Thai Conference on “The Future is Rail”, which took place within the framework of the Foreign Market Entry Programme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supported by the BMWK
UPDATE 3/2022
(Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action). Organised at the Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn with the participation of about 120 guests, the conference provided an excellent platform for the German companies to present their state-of-the-art rail products and solutions to Thai counterparts. The conference commenced with opening remarks by GTCC Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein and welcoming remarks by German Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Georg Schmidt. Mr. Axel Schuppe, General Manager of the German Association of the Railway Industry (VDB) e.V. provided a valuable insight into the work of the VDB with its 210 member companies that include infrastructure
companies, component and subsystem suppliers, engineering solution providers, system integrators and service providers. Their common goal is to create green mobility made in Germany, with fast, punctual, emission-free, efficient, connected and comfortable features. Next, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Nisai Fuengwarodsakul, Dean of the Thai-German Graduate School (TGGS) and Chairman of the German-Thai Railway Association (GTRA), shared the background of GTRA, which started in 2017 with the German-Thai Railway Partnership (GTRP). GTRA's goal and mission is to support Thai-German Railway networking and co-operation in creating “Rail Transportation for better life quality in Thailand”.
