BANGKOK, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said on Wednesday that the Thais across the country have no excuses for not going to the general election polls on Dec. 23 since the authority has decided to lower the train fare.

    The SRT will offer 50 percent discount on all second and third class tickets to encourage as many people as possible to cast their vote on Dec. 23, Pairat Rojcharoen-ngarm, an SRT public relations official said.

    The offer is valid between Dec. 21-24, Pairat was quoted by the Bangkok Post's webnews as saying.

    Passengers will asked to present their personal identification cards to the ticket office to be eligible for the discount, which applies to train services to all destinations, he said.

    Thailand will hold its first general election on Dec. 23 after last year's military coup. The government and election organization expect the voter turnout would be over 70 percent.