Witnesses say the train was passing through an unmanned level crossing when the driver of an articulated 22-wheel lorry drove into the side of the last carriage. The force of the impact shunted the train sideways and off the tracks.
The lorry driver and two passengers were injured in the collision and were taken to nearby Kamphaengsaen Hospital. The State Railway of Thailand arranged for passengers stranded by the derailment of Train 356 to board other Bang Sue and Bangkok bound services. For most of yesterday, railway workers and engineers were kept busy clearing debris from the crash and righting the derailed train.
Quite a few of Thailand’s road-rail crossings are unmanned. There are a few accidents every year in which drivers seem to have decided they can beat the train across. Speeds are never that high and serious injuries are thankfully a rarity. Safety campaigners have long recommended improvements to warning signals at unmanned crossings.
Lorry driver derails Thai commuter train at level crossing
News in Asia
A local passenger train travelling into Bangkok was derailed early yesterday following a collision with a lorry. Train Number 356 from Suphanburi was just approaching Nakhon Pathom when the incident occurred at a little after 05:30 in the morning.