Songkran Train Tickets Sold Out

Increased oil prices forces Songkran travellers to take trains

PATTANI: -- Train tickets have been sold out during next week’s Songkran holiday, as increased oil prices have forced commuters to take public transport despite frequent insurgent attacks, according to a senior rail official

''It is pleasing to know that the public still has confidence in travelling on the train despite the recent attacks. I think it is partly because of the expense of oil which has forced people to use trains,'' Rithi Saleepol, chief of the Pattani Railway Station, told TNA on Friday.

Security forces have been deployed to guard railway stations and the rail tracks to prevent insurgent attacks, he said. The increased security measures were necessary after the railways had become a target in the past weeks.

The railway authorities were prepared to cope with any unexpected event and tighten security at all stations along the route from Pattani to Bangkok, he said.

''We have coordinated with the security forces and all railway stations will heavily guarded, as well as along the route and on the trains themselves,'' Mr. Rithi said.

The railway chief said ticket sales had not been affected by the recent surge in violence. Pattani Station was still taking 3-4 million baht a month, he added.

Millions of Thai people usually travel home during the long Songkran holiday.

--TNA 2005-04-08