Travelers Embark on Road Trips for the New Year Break Today
Today, travelers are taking to the roads for the New Year holiday, causing significant congestion on the Friendship Road, the main route to the northeast. Thousands are traveling in both private and public vehicles for the upcoming official holiday period.
The Bang Sue train station is similarly bustling with passengers. The State Railway of Thailand has prepared extra trains, ready to serve up to 100,000 daily travelers.
To manage the surge in demand, the state-run Transport Company has added 4,000 bus services for today and tomorrow, anticipating 70,000 passengers just for today. The previous Wednesday saw over 55,000 depart from Bangkok and more than 46,000 arrive via 6,916 bus trips.
For travel safety, all passengers are reminded to wear seat belts. On longer routes, buses have two alternating drivers who must have medical clearance to drive.
Traffic is also slow-moving on the Phahonyothin Road towards the northern provinces, particularly before reaching Nakhon Sawan. Furthermore, the northbound Asian highway is congested around the Bang Pa-in district in Ayutthaya.