Seventeen second-hand passenger train carriages from Japan are set for a new lease of life having now been refurbished ahead of being put into service for short tourism routes from next month, says the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). Donated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), the 17 diesel carriages arrived at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri on Dec 13 last year. The SRT paid 42.5 million baht for the shipment. Test run On Sept 6, SRT governor Nirut Maneephan took the media on a test run of a train made up of three carriages which have been completely refurbished. The air-conditione…