Prachuap Khirikhan train crash

[dirtydog]

MAJOR TRAIN ACCIDENT
3 killed, 73 injured in train crash


Hua Hin, Prachuap Khirikhan - Three train workers were killed and 73 other people were injured when a passenger train rammed into another in this seaside town early Sunday morning.

The State Railway Authority said it has yet to investigate to find out whether the accident at the Nong Kae staton in Hua Hin district was caused by the system or human error.


Police and railway officials said the Bangkok-Yala train was being parked at the station to wait for the Langsuan-Thonburi train to pass through the station first, but the incoming train did not enter the alternative track. Instead, it rammed into the Bangkok-Yala train.

The impact reduced the engine of the Bangkok-Yala train into rubble, pushed it back to crash into the first passenger carriage. Three passenger carriages were also derailed by the impact.

Siva Saengmanee, chairman of the SRT board of directors, said the accident took place at 2:30 am. The cause of the accident has yet to be investigated, he said.

He said a total of 73 were injured and most of them slightly. He said 65 passengers were discharged after receiving treatments at hospitals.

He said eight people were severely injured and three of them were SRT employees.

Five of the eight severely injured were being treated at the Hua Hin Hospital, and three in San Paolo Hospital.

The three slain train workers were on the Bangkok-Yala train. They were identified as Phaichit Chuyod, the driver, Wanida Photihpan, a train attendant, and Thirapong Boonchai, a mechanic.

Other passengers were provided a temporary shelter before were transported to a nearby bus station to continue their travel on buses.

Channel 7 reported quoting an official as saying that the driver of the Langsuan-Thonburi train might be responsible for the accident because the station already flashed the red light for him to stop pending the switching of track for his train.

The accident disrupted train service until 7 am.

Siva said six Bangkok-bound trains from southern provinces resumed their travel to Bangkok at 7 am.

The Nation

[dirtydog]

Hua Hin train crash kills three, 73 injured

Bangkok (dpa) - Three railway workers were killed and 73 people were injured when a passenger train crashed into another train before dawn Sunday in seaside resort of Hua Hin, authorities said.

A Bangkok-bound passenger train crashed into a parked train in the station 130 kilometres south of Bangkok.

State Railway Authority officials told local media they were investigating what caused the crash in the popular resort town on the Gulf of Thailand.

Eight people were seriously injured including three railway employees. The other 65 people injured were treated and released from hospital within a few hours.

Among the injured passengers were an Italian man and a German woman, both of whom were treated for minor injuries.

The crash at about 2:30 a.m. disrupted train travel until 7 a.m.

Bangkok Post

[Dougal]

I am surprised that there were not more fatalities. One of the carriages has been bent through 90 degrees and the axles have come up through the floor.

I did not hear about till late in the day and so it was too dark to take any pictures but I'll try tomorrow.

[Dougal]

I can't see how they are running a 'normal' service as both lines are blocked here. Maybe they are detraining the passengers and getting them to walk around the wreakage to another train.


The engine has gone a good 2 meters into the passenger carriage.

This carriage took most of the damage


This is the scene inside the bent carriage.

The only bright spot is that they are using this rather nice steam powered crane to shift the wreakage. The sun was in the wrong position to get some good shots of it.

[MeMock]

dougal, the man always on the spot with a camera.

Good work.

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks Dougal. Good photos.

[dirtydog]

HUA HIN / BAD RAILWAY COMMUNICATIONS

Three dead, 93 hurt in head-on train crash


CHAIWAT SADYAEM
Prachuap Khiri Khan _ Poor driver-to-driver communication led to two trains colliding head on, killing three people and injuring 93 others in Hua Hin district yesterday, police said.

A north-bound Chumphon-Thon Buri train, with about 100 passengers, went through a red light and ran into the Bangkok-Yala sprinter, carrying more than 300 passengers, near Ban Nong Kae station.

The Yala-bound train was waiting for the train from Lang Suan, in Chumphon, to pass so it could continue south. The crash happened at about 2.30am.

Three railway employees on the sprinter _ driver Paijit Chuyada, crew member Wanida Popa and mechanic Teerapol Boonchai _ died at the scene of the accident, police said.

Ninety-three passengers were admitted to hospitals in Hua Hin.

Most were allowed to go home later yesterday, but nine were still receiving medical care last night.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) launched an investigation into the crash. Initial inquiries indicated the Thon Buri-bound train ignored a red light, officials said. The driver of the Bangkok-Yala train reportedly tried in vain to contact the other train to inform the driver of his position and ask him to slow down and wait until his train moved to another track so they could pass.

According to initial investigations, the north-bound train gave no response and ploughed head on into the sprinter.

Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Chansena, who visited injured passengers in Hua Hin yesterday, said the SRT must find the cause of the accident to avoid a recurrence. An SRT spokesman said damage was estimated at 200 million baht. It will take at least two days to remove the damaged carriages from the area.

The railway at Ban Nong Kae village was reopened to traffic later yesterday.
Social Security Office secretary-general Surin Jirawisith said compensation would be paid to all injured passengers who are members of the fund. They would receive half their monthly salary while they were being treated and unable to work.

Bangkok Post

[dirtydog]

RAIL ACCIDENT / PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

Train driver probably fell asleep, says SRT


AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK
A train driver probably fell asleep and caused Sunday's crash which killed three people and injured 93 others in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)'s preliminary investigation has found.

There was also a good chance that the automatic system which should stop the train if the driver does not respond to the controls was not working, SRT chairman Siva Saengmanee said yesterday.

The driver of the north-bound Chumphon-Thon Buri rapid train probably fell asleep and his train ploughed head-on into the Bangkok-Yala sprinter at Nong Kae station, he said.

The crash happened at 2.42am when the sprinter was waiting for the Chumphon train to pass so it could continue south.

Three railway employees on the sprinter, including the driver, died at the scene. Ninety-three passengers were taken to hospital in Hua Hin.

Most were allowed to go home later on Sunday.

Mr Siva said the SRT would check the vigilance system of the Thon Buri-bound train to see whether it was operational when the accident took place.

The vigilance system is set to lock the brakes automatically within 102 seconds if the driver does not respond to the train's controls or becomes incapacitated.

The system had been installed in 212 locomotives to prevent drivers from falling asleep at the controls, but only 35% of the devices were operative, said Mr Siva.

He conceded that most rail tracks and locomotives were also old and needed repair.

"The SRT needs to speed up the repair of those devices," the SRT chief said.

"But the problem is that the agency is short of funds to cover repair and maintenance costs due to its huge debts."

The agency was understaffed, and particularly short of train drivers. Mr Siva said 2,400 drivers were needed, but the SRT had only 2,000 drivers and most of them were almost 50 years old.

The SRT budgeted 400 to 500 million baht for maintenance each year. This was inadequate, resulting in frequent train accidents, he said.

The agency needed 21 billion baht to repair 813km of old and damaged track.

The SRT earned about four billion baht a year from passenger train services, two billion baht from freight and another two billion baht from land rental fees, but its spending stood at 14 to 15 billion baht a year, the SRT chairman said.

Bangkok Post