| Abstract | The objective of this study is to investigate the competitive
effect of the reconstructed Korat-Nong Khai Highway on rail transportation in Northeast Thailand. The alignment of this
highway is practically parallel to the railway line from Korat to
Nong Khai; the distance separating the two is but a few kilometers. A study of traffic on the Korat-Nong Khai Highway was made in order to determine traffic trends and patterns. Carload and less-than carload freight, and passengers carried by the railway were
investigated in detail. Some of commodities of carload freight,
namely, rice, paddy (unmilled rice), bran, jute, kenaf, logs and
poles, lumber, cement, and petroleum products were selected for detailed study. Time-series changes in tonnage of freight and the number of passengers carried by the railway, and their corresponding revenues were compared with those of a datum. Another
railway line, also located in Northeastern Thailand but not
affected by a parallel highway, was selected as the datum. It
was found that both freight and passenger traffic on the Korat
Nong Khai line decreased considerably after the opening of the Korat-Nong Khai Highway |
