Thai State Railways train derails in North, foreign tourists injured

[stickylies]

What is the bet the foreign tourist will pay hospital bills for this that would be covered everywhere else by the transport company.

the bet is that you will lose and the tourists will be covered by thai railway insurance.

[stickylies]

What is the bet the foreign tourist will pay hospital bills for this that would be covered everywhere else by the transport company.

the bet is that you will lose and the tourists will be covered by thai railway insurance.

[tinom]

I Love trains in Thailand.. And I feel much more secure in trains than in bus... And I avoid suicid minibusses... But I wonder how a train can derail at the snail speed it runs. Very surprised it happened twice in a month, so the track at that point surely is a bad state! But this news will not keep me away from my favourite transportation in Siam!

[Thormaturge]

pete66 things have clearly got worse over the years. I did the Bangkok-Nong Khai trip a few years ago and arrived at Hualumpong station an hour early only to discover that the train was scheduled to depart thirty minutes early, so I just managed to get a ticket and a seat. The reason it was leaving early? There was maintenance on the track and they figured the train would arrive on time if it left early. There is always logic to the stuff Thais do, you just have to look for it.

[Morakot]

What is the bet the foreign tourist will pay hospital bills for this that would be covered everywhere else by the transport company.

I am sure the affected tourists will be delighted with their free complimentary subscription to the TAT newsletter.

[SSSlongtime]

happened in France on Monday ,high speed train ,dead people ,been on thai train ,has not changed since 1970 shame about the rest of the country ,Pattaya was heaven ,now hell ,still little hell is OK short time

[stickylies]

Personally I find all those repeating negative, synical and off topic cliché reactions a very annoying thing on Thaivisa. Why do this frustrated old men want to live here anyway, just for their cheap beer ?

True. Old men who blew up most bridges at home due to immature and dominant behaviour, stuck in a land where they are not respected either, hence the frustration (and the bore).

[requiredinfo]

Personally I find all those repeating negative, synical and off topic cliché reactions a very annoying thing on Thaivisa. Why do this frustrated old men want to live here anyway, just for their cheap beer ?

It‘s pathetic to post the same tone of responses in every random topic, this is Thailand and you know it.

Posting your opinion is not obligatory, if you'd think so.

Send from my Asus FONEPAD

Say, did the engineer flee the scene?

no it was suicide.

[bangkokstick]

At the low speed it goes how can it derail ????

[greg71]

If these tourists are smart enough they should sue for gross negligance on the part of SRT and then medical bills etc etc A class action even .Sorry just isnt good enough here anymore..

[A Member]

It seems the SRT Governor has been taking lessons in making public statements from Tarit of the DSI with his " knew about it and we're on it " statement. I would like to see a " genuine " copy of the proposed maintenance schedule, if it exists, to see when it was to be done.

At least he hasn't used the lack of money excuse, so far anyway. This is all about peoples's safety and I bet he never travels by rail.

[A Member]

If these tourists are smart enough they should sue for gross negligance on the part of SRT and then medical bills etc etc A class action even .Sorry just isnt good enough here anymore..

There might be a slight problem, it's called the Thai " legal system "

[finnomick]

Not at all surprising, unfortunately. The rail system is in shocking condition and desperately needs upgrading, never mind the high speed project.

This must have been quite a shock for the passengers as most would probably have been asleep. Lucky it wasn't a ' high speed ' train or the injuries probably would have been a lot worse. I am surprised the train could fall off the track because the overnight train goes SO slow. Even the daytime express only averages about 60kph.

On a somewhat humerous ( for me anyway ) note, I see The Nation reported that foreign travellers fled the scene......do they think they were responsible for the accident ?

[harrry]

If these tourists are smart enough they should sue for gross negligance on the part of SRT and then medical bills etc etc A class action even .Sorry just isnt good enough here anymore..

There might be a slight problem, it's called the Thai " legal system "

That is why I suggest that the travel insurance companies do that. They are perfectly placed to ensure maximum overseas publicity which even TAT would have to take notice of. The slowness of the system is not a problem with this.......just maximizes the time available for media pressure.

[rubberduck]

Personally I find all those repeating negative, synical and off topic cliché reactions a very annoying thing on Thaivisa. Why do this frustrated old men want to live here anyway, just for their cheap beer ?

It‘s pathetic to post the same tone of responses in every random topic, this is Thailand and you know it.

Posting your opinion is not obligatory, if you'd think so.

Send from my Asus FONEPAD

Say, did the engineer flee the scene?

LOL

Now just what do you have against old people?

Because the combination 'old man from a civilized country' and 'living in Thailand' makes grumpy. A bored live, an uninteresting wife and semi-alcohol addict, the long stay tourists. The young generation expats does way better and they leave on time before all the minor inconveniences gets under their skin.

[epicstuff]

Can't blame the speed of the train at least.. I think those passengers that now have to walk will be pleasantly surprised they get in ahead of scheduled.

Its hard to imaging them coming off the track at the speed these trains travel at,,

Havent been on a train for a long time but I used to love the train trips. It cost bugger all to get a 1st class cabin, loads of room, clean, can move about and even sit with your legs dangling out the open doors while having a smoke.

if you want to get there fast go by plane...

[oldsailor35]

There must be a bad lack of maintenance on Thai railways. I recently did the train journey Butterworth to Suratthani. As the train ran through Malaysia it was a pleasure, so quiet and hardly rocking at all, but when we got into Thailand it became a shocking experience wildly rocking from side to side clattering and banging its way along the track. One would have thought we were on a different train. I did notice that Malaysian railways had decent and reasonably new concrete rail sleepers whereas Thai sleepers were quite old and timber.

[DocN]

....soooooooo...just because it happens elsewhere (yawn), means that the Thai Railway System is top- notch?

No need for overhaul?

Just grumpy old men complaining?

[rubberduck]

Not at all surprising, unfortunately. The rail system is in shocking condition and desperately needs upgrading, never mind the high speed project.

This must have been quite a shock for the passengers as most would probably have been asleep. Lucky it wasn't a ' high speed ' train or the injuries probably would have been a lot worse. I am surprised the train could fall off the track because the overnight train goes SO slow. Even the daytime express only averages about 60kph.

On a somewhat humerous ( for me anyway ) note, I see The Nation reported that foreign travellers fled the scene......do they think they were responsible for the accident ?

This train drives pretty fast on some parts of the route, imagine falling from the upper bed hitting various steelbars and poor protected ceilingfans, it's dark, panic and disorientation and a total chaos in a train on it's side, only place to escape is the roof...

[phanangpete]

Havent blogged for a long time now , but things, as all forum members know, have got beyond rediculous now, the money this country is making from tourism and they cannot, or will not ,upgrade the ancient small grade tract railway system is how two faced they really are. The mismagement from the government is bordering on madness, they have no excuse.

What were the 20 odd Diplomats doing in Phuket last month and every one of them brought up safety for tourists !

Some two years ago China offered to bank roll a high speed train through Loas to Bangkok, but the Thais in their supreme wisdow turned them down, saying that they could take care of it, what needs to happen in this country to make them wake up. Any thais on this forum listen, you are embarassed to comment on these issues as you know you are in the wrong. I will be surprised if you will be allowed to join the ASEAN community 2015, untill you grow up !

[oldsailor35]

Can't blame the speed of the train at least.. I think those passengers that now have to walk will be pleasantly surprised they get in ahead of scheduled.

Its hard to imaging them coming off the track at the speed these trains travel at,,

Havent been on a train for a long time but I used to love the train trips. It cost bugger all to get a 1st class cabin, loads of room, clean, can move about and even sit with your legs dangling out the open doors while having a smoke.

if you want to get there fast go by plane...

But you see stuff all.

[mikemac]

" I would like to see a " genuine " copy of the proposed maintenance schedule"................................................................................

And I would like to see a young, fit, muscular, suntanned young man when I look in the mirror. Neither are going to happen !

[jacko45k]

Wow, did they get the obligatory insurance for tourists implemented in time to cover this one!?

[rubberduck]

On the photo what is the small track in the middle for ?? Spare rails or whatever ?

[WhizBang]

Not at all surprising, unfortunately. The rail system is in shocking condition and desperately needs upgrading, never mind the high speed project.

The high speed train project is a joke because the Thais will NEVER be able to operate it safely. Never mind though, as it will NEVER get built due to graft and corruption.

I have seen some rail ties that have rotted in place and often wondered how long before a train derails because of lack of maintainence.

The HST money should be used instead to bring the Thai rail system up to international standards, double tracking all major routes, new rolling stock and going to wider guage.

But This is Thailand, so it will, sadly, never happen.

Lack of maintaince is a national Thai disease. Thais will build something and then simply ignore it as it decays to the point of threatening lives.

[Tomtomtom69]

Yes, there is a reason its mostly foreigners take the train, they have no idea how dangerous it is.

Thais just pay the extra 500B to get on a plane, save 15 hrs journey time, and reduce the chance of an accident by about 100.

Some of these foreigners have been duped into believing that the train is safer than the buses and/or they are too cheap to spend the extra 500 Baht on a flight as you say. Or perhaps they could afford flights, but think of the train as being quite "romantic" with all it's 100 year old vibe and everything. I personally drive - I'm in control and can get to Chiang Mai in about 9 hours, depending on traffic.

[edgarfriendly]

only alcoholics and peasants 'love' these trains, theyre <deleted>!

the staff are pushy, more beer, more beer...how can i have more if i havent had 1?

the food is gross and overpriced.

the restaurant car is filled with drunk 'staff' that gamble and scream along to noisy music and flashing lights like a 12 yr olds birthday disco.

the sleepers are FILTHY, the other passengers are all scum, picking their feet and staring at you in case you might drop 5 bt in your sleep.

still rather train than plane though!

[stickylies]

Because the combination 'old man from a civilized country' and 'living in Thailand' makes grumpy. A bored live, an uninteresting wife and semi-alcohol addict, the long stay tourists. The young generation expats does way better and they leave on time before all the minor inconveniences gets under their skin.

True as most (not all) younger generations are much more mature/emancipated and less spoiled. No offense to these 50+ fellas but most (not all) are mummy's boys. They need someone who washes their clothes, fixes them a meal, gives them plenty of attention, and as said before, most are very dominant on top of that. They wanna speak but they can't listen. And when they speak, they mostly speak about themselves OR they speak about the incompetence of others.

[unclekleef]

This is why we need a high speed train. If is a high speed train, then you have no survivors.

Tourist killed on the rail, on the bus, on the boats and in the taxi. The only place we have not seen accidents is in the horse drawn carts in Lampang. Lampang is a safe tourist destination.

What is the bet the foreign tourist will pay hospital bills for this that would be covered everywhere else by the transport company.

Thai interpretation: if foreigner did not come to Thailand this will not happen. Now Foreigner pay or go home!

Correction.....

Pay AND go home.

[chooka]

30 passengers injured in Thailand train accident

Authorities say at least 30 passengers, mostly foreign tourists, were slightly injured when a train derailed in the mountains of northern Thailand. It was the second derailment on the same route in a month.

State Railway of Thailand governor Prapas Jongsanguan said the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai skidded off the tracks early Wednesday in Phrae province. Seven out of 10 carriages flipped onto their sides.

Railway authorities believe the accident was caused by old tracks that were scheduled for repair.

There were no Russian tourists, according to the Russian Embassy in Thailand.

Source: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_07_17/30-passengers-injured-in-Thailand-train-accident-5899/

-- THE VOICE OF RUSSIA 2013-07-17

Looking at the photo in this report the railway sleepers look in a terrible state of repair. When is the High Speed Train coming into play?

No Russians injured, No news in the Australian media so I guess no Aussies injured either.