Thailand’s railway safety upgrade: 693 unauthorised crossings to be rerouted

[webfact]

 

In the aftermath of a tragic accident last week in Chachoengsao, where a freight train collided with a pickup truck at an unrecognised railway crossing, taking eight lives and injuring three, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) resolved to close 693 unauthorised railway crossings across Thailand.

 

The accident took place on an unauthorised crossing, lacking official signalling mechanisms. Of the 437 incidents involving trains that transpired between 2005 and 2021, SRT data indicates that 44% occurred at illegal crossings.

 

Tayakorn Chandrangsu, SRT Director of Safety and Maintenance, yesterday revealed that Thailand’s 4,000-kilometre railway network boasts 2,697 level crossings. Some 2,004 of these have the official stamp of approval while 693 do not. The unauthorised crossings due for closure are distributed unevenly across the country, with 52 in the north, 54 in the northeast, 68 in the east, and 519 in the south.

 

Chandrangsu stated the persistence of locals in utilising these unauthorised railway crossings as they usually provide the most direct and convenient route to their chosen destination.

 

by Mitch Connor

TOP: Govenor of the State Railway of Thailand Nirut Maneepan, fourth from left, talks to police at a crash site in Muang, Chachoengsao province, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. Picture courtesy of AP.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/state-railway-to-close-693-unofficial-crossings-after-deadly-thai-accident

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-08-15

 

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[KannikaP]

Let the locals use their shortcuts to where they want to go, even if it is to see the Man upstairs.

What is the Darwin Theory?

Shouldn't the headline say that the illegal crossings are to be CLOSED/BLOCKED OFF?

[KhunLA]

So the masses have to suffer because some idiots don't know how to drive across a simple RR crossing.

 

Stop - Look - Listen, can be so challenging for some.

[retarius]

A good idea, but why now? Because of a publicised accident with a pick up truck?. They had the statistics that 44% of accidents happen on these unauthorised crossings some years back, then the pick up accident might not have happened.

[lordgrinz]

Like drivers on the street, they make their own rules, whatever is easiest, like driving the wrong way down streets. The land of lunacy (LOL).

[Bangkok Barry]

I suppose drivers using the 'illegal' crossings responsibly is out of the question? Ah, there's that alien-to-Thais phrase - showing responsibility.

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, retarius said:

A good idea, but why now? Because of a publicised accident with a pick up truck?. They had the statistics that 44% of accidents happen on these unauthorised crossings some years back, then the pick up accident might not have happened.

So the unauthorized crossings are actually safer then the authorized crossings ... hmm

 

And these are the ones they want to close ????

 

Yea, I know, apples & oranges, but don't mess with my spin ????

[retarius]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

So the unauthorized crossings are actually safer then the authorized crossings ... hmm

 

And these are the ones they want to close ????

 

Yea, I know, apples & oranges, but don't mess with my spin ????

Statistics not your strong suit, is it?

[KhunLA]

24 minutes ago, retarius said:

Statistics not your strong suit, is it?

"They had the statistics that 44% of accidents happen on these unauthorised crossings"

 

Would that not leave 56% happening at authorized crossings?

 

I did state ... don't mess with my spin ????

[foreverlomsak]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) resolved to close 693 unauthorised railway crossings across Thailand.

Any form of barrier will be adapted by the locals to ensure that they can still cross there, as they do when police barricade off a U-Turn, the concrete blocks "walk", nobody knows how or when but they do.

[herfiehandbag]

They are (finally - it was mooted first in the 1930s) building a railway up to Chiang Rai, and beyond!

 

They seem to be building bridges for roads rather than level crossings - someone is making some money, they have knocked down swathes of buildings to build a bridge in Wiang Chiang Rung!

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) resolved to close 693 unauthorised railway crossings across Thailand.

Of which zero should be open.

[KhunLA]

18 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Of which zero should be open.

Most will be a thing of the past anyway, as the dual lines, and high speed (faster) trains hit the rails, as crossings will become obsolete.

[mfd101]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

"They had the statistics that 44% of accidents happen on these unauthorised crossings"

 

Would that not leave 56% happening at authorized crossings?

 

No, your statistics are still wrong. 25% of the total number of crossings produces 44% of accidents.

 

What's strange to me is the phrase 'unauthorised crossing' which I would understand to refer to a person or people crossing the rail lines illegally.

 

But no, it seems to refer to the railway lines themselves at that place (in which case who authorized the rail lines there?), or alternatively it refers to the pathway or roadway that crosses the rail lines at that point (in which case who authorized the sealed road we see in the photo above?).

[carlyai]

5 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

Like drivers on the street, they make their own rules, whatever is easiest, like driving the wrong way down streets. The land of lunacy (LOL).

Love it.

[carlyai]

Just now, carlyai said:

Love it.

That crossing had lights.

[Enoon]

 

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

No, your statistics are still wrong. 25% of the total number of crossings produces 44% of accidents.

 

What's strange to me is the phrase 'unauthorised crossing' which I would understand to refer to a person or people crossing the rail lines illegally.

 

But no, it seems to refer to the railway lines themselves at that place (in which case who authorized the rail lines there?), or alternatively it refers to the pathway or roadway that crosses the rail lines at that point (in which case who authorized the sealed road we see in the photo above?).

I think a big mistake has been made by the use of the word "unauthorised".

 

This has led to a lot of people on this and the previous thread thinking that they are illegal crossings,

 

They are not, they are legal crossings that are "uncontrolled"........they have lights but no barriers.

 

This is the view looking North from the South side of the crossing.  The single freight line (which the truck was crossing) is in a dip beyond the two main passenger lines in the foreground:

 

 

 

Uncontrolled Crossings are a big problem in the UK as well.

 

 

 

 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Most will be a thing of the past anyway, as the dual lines, and high speed (faster) trains hit the rails, as crossings will become obsolete.

Go the long way around... nah... not a Thai thing

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Go the long way around... nah... not a Thai thing

With the fencing going up of late, they're not going to have a choice.

[zyphodb]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Of the 437 incidents involving trains that transpired between 2005 and 2021, SRT data indicates that 44% occurred at illegal crossings.

So 56% of accidents occurred at legal ones? your safer crossing at the dodgy ones TIT 555

[cowellandrew]

There is hundreds of farm tracks across the railway lines,  my story, I was riding in a locomotive as my next door neighbor is a train driver, as we were travelling from Lumsum to kanchanaburi we hit a pickup truck crossing,  ( on a proper crossing )

We smashed the front off the pickup truck, when we stopped my self and the train driver climbed down from the locomotive the 150 people in the rear of the passenger train got out and started pointing at me, ah flang driving trains fault! the 3 thai guys that got out of the pickup were drunk,

????

[foreverlomsak]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Go the long way around... nah... not a Thai thing

correct, just go faster to give the train less chance to hit you 

[Venom]

11 hours ago, retarius said:

A good idea, but why now? Because of a publicised accident with a pick up truck?. They had the statistics that 44% of accidents happen on these unauthorised crossings some years back, then the pick up accident might not have happened.

But they've already installed hundreds of U-turn bridges over the railroad tracks! ???? 

[Gsxrnz]

Make the trains stop and give way to the motorists.  Probably more economical.

[KhunLA]

53 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Make the trains stop and give way to the motorists.  Probably more economical.

Trains are slow enough already, you want them to stop at every crossing.

 

How about all cars on the road stop at every u-turn on the highways & intersection in town, so nobody gets T-boned.

 

Is it really that hard to stop at a RR crossing.

 

You can't fix stupid

[mikebell]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

the persistence of locals in utilising these unauthorised railway crossings as they usually provide the most direct and convenient route to their chosen destination.

Unlike U-turns on the roads which cost Thailand billions of $s a year in unnecessary mileage.

[KhunLA]

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the 'unauthorized' part of the RR crossings.

 

They are gov't roads, constructed and maintained by, but the op-ed calls them 'unauthorized'

 

Even the crossing in photo was RR warning lights????

 

Is it possible for Thaiger to actually start reporting things that are real and or helpful to people.

 

The topic should start with "Thaiger: Thailand’s railway safety upgrade: 693 unauthorised crossings to be rerouted"  

 

Note to self: scroll down for source before reading.  Ignore as needed to avoid frustration. ????

[Callmeishmael]

I think that the writer of the article should have called them 'uncontrolled' crossings, rather than 'unauthorized' crossings.  Just another example of the high standards of journalism that prevails here in Thailand. 

[Almer]

On 8/15/2023 at 9:44 AM, retarius said:

A good idea, but why now? Because of a publicised accident with a pick up truck?. They had the statistics that 44% of accidents happen on these unauthorised crossings some years back, then the pick up accident might not have happened

Put up barriers and they will just move down the track, dont expect people to ride 30 km to get to the other side.

 

[Almer]

On 8/16/2023 at 8:22 AM, KhunLA said:

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the 'unauthorized' part of the RR crossings.

 

They are gov't roads, constructed and maintained by, but the op-ed calls them 'unauthorized'

 

Even the crossing in photo was RR warning lights????

 

Is it possible for Thaiger to actually start reporting things that are real and or helpful to people.

 

The topic should start with "Thaiger: Thailand’s railway safety upgrade: 693 unauthorised crossings to be rerouted"  

 

Note to self: scroll down for source before reading.  Ignore as needed to avoid frustration. ????

That will be expensive, better to put up barriers than reroute !!!