Nakhon Pathom High-speed Railway Station

สถานีรถไฟความเร็วสูงนครปฐม

Infrastructure, Transportation

Nakhon Pathom High-speed Railway Station was established to support the development of High-Speed Rails and Double Track Rails in Thailand, as a part of the government’s plan to connect all rail systems and other regional transport systems. The project aims to study the system of intermodal transportation, create spaces that respond to the local context and enrich local lifestyles, and study the existing activity flows and circulations in the area.

Designer name

Chayanidh

Chantraprapawat

Project Location

Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Project Area

56,456

sq.m.

Nakhon Pathom High-speed Railway Station was assigned by The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning to be located near the province’s iconic “Phra Pathom Jedi.” The area facing the Jedi, on the south side of the project’s site is a notorious commercial area with commercial activities happening all day and night. On the north side of the site is a residential area. The city has been completely divided into two parts because of the construction of the train tracks.

The project hopes to resolve the issue by creating a connection between the two sides of the city through circulation networks, local activities, and visual connectivity. The project uses the concourse space as a main connecting space to prevent pedestrians from crossing the train tracks. Commercial areas, which originally would be demolished due to land expropriation, would act as an “interface” between the station and the surrounding areas. Visitors will be able to stroll past these commercial areas before entering the main concourse area.

In terms of visual connection with the surrounding area, the project emphasizes the views from the project towards Phra Pathom Jedi. The project also paid attention to the visual connection between the surrounding buildings, by scaling down the building’s roof and showcasing local activities that stretch out from the local area into the building.

Apart from the disconnections between the two sides of the city, the surrounding site areas also has heavy issues of traffic jams. Lack of parking spaces and non-existent public transportation parking spots in the area forced vehicles to be parked on the side of the street, causing traffic congestions. The project tries to diminish the problem by incorporating public transportation parking spots into the site. On top of the added programs, the project also organized vehicles and pedestrian circulation systems in the site. All public transportation parking spots are directly linked to the main concourse area, therefore creating a seamless connection between one mode of transportation to the other.

To further diminish the issues of traffic jams, the Project also proposes extra parking spaces to accommodate train station passengers and local people. The parking space occupies previously unused space under the structure of the High-Speed Rail tracks. This parking space placement allows vehicles to access the parking space from both sides of the site that was previously cut by the train tracks. Passengers can directly access the main concourse as the parking space is located on the same level.