The SRT statement said that the closure is necessary as sleepers and rails on the track are past their sell by date and need replacing. The scheduled date for the reopening is 8 November 2015.
The Folding Umbrella Market is a popular daytrip destination from Bangkok for both domestic and international tourists. The market is known as Talad Rom Hoop to Thais and is famed for the fact that it is held on land on both sides of the rail track leading to Mae Klong Station.
There are four trains in each direction between this station and Ban Laem in neighbouring Samut Sakhon Province. Each time a train goes through the market, stallholders have to fold up shade parasols to enable them to pass.
The SRT statement noted that buses will be laid on to transport passengers between Ban Laem and Mae Klong until the train service is restored. The Folding Umbrella Market is one of the current sites featuring in a Tourism Authority of Thailand promotion. It is also within a short distance of the more famous Amphawa Floating Market.
Folding Umbrella Market train services shelved for repairs
News in Asia
The Thai national rail company is temporarily putting a hold on services to the Folding Umbrella Market near Bangkok. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) says the section of track linking the last four stations on the line to the market is closing with effect from tomorrow.