Train 452 jumped the tracks just after it had left Tha Maenglak Station yesterday at about 13:00. Five of the local service’s eight carriages were derailed and seven people onboard were injured. State Railway of Thailand (SRT) employees arranged buses to transport uninjured passengers onwards to their final destinations.
SRT engineers are working on the derailed train. Inspector Saman Raksawong said today that removing the damaged carriages and fixing the track is expected to take another three days and the line would not reopen before Sunday. He added that the engineers would also be checking to see if the track or rail ties had been sabotaged.
SRT is still operating connecting bus services between Hat Yai and all points to the route’s terminus at Sungai Kolok. The other main rail line to Malaysia, which crosses the border at Padang Besar, is unaffected and daily international services are running normally.
Derailment closes southern Thai rail line
News in Asia
The derailment of a train yesterday in the far south of Thailand has forced the national rail authority to cancel services on the route until Sunday. The affected line runs from Hat Yai to Sungai Kolok and passes through the provinces of Pattani and Narathiwat.