Thai State Railways train derails in North, foreign tourists injured

[anto]

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).

Very true .They can not leave and have nowhere to return to .Whats the procentage of bitter old men on Thaivisa ? .I would put it at at leat 75% of the ones that post .

PS ,Never expect compensation in Thailand ,and i am glad that Thailand is not part of the Western compensation culture .Tourists who come here without adaquate travel insurance have only themselves to blame .

[Commander Tamson]

That was always going to happen. Me and my kids have done BKK-CM several times on the train, and not once has it arrived less than 5 hrs late. And on two occassions it got nowhere near Chiang Mai. It got derailed one time and we had to wait an hour for a bus to drive us three hours to Chiang Mai up the hills.

You can see how ridiculous the "high speed rail link" plans are, when they can't even run this system. Invest for sure, but just make a train that works. We don't need high speed. We have planes for that, 30 minutes to CM, and hardly cost any more than the train.

30 mins by plane from Bangkok to Chiang Mai? So that's where all the old Concords went!

On a more serious note - we should be thankful that no one was killed -

[Chittychangchang]

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).

Very true .They can not leave and have nowhere to return to .Whats the procentage of bitter old men on Thaivisa ? .I would put it at at leat 75% of the ones that post .

PS ,Never expect compensation in Thailand ,and i am glad that Thailand is not part of the Western compensation culture .Tourists who come here without adaquate travel insurance have only themselves to blame .

So it's o.k to claim on their insurance because of the rail company's negligence!

We don't mind paying higher premiums because of someone else's incompetance.

CCC

[rubberduck]

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.

Very good one indeed.

[EveryDayTheSame]

New rails are in place ready for upgrading, but if you look at the rail and the pandrol clips which hold it in placethey are completely undamaged, as are all the sleepers. This train has not fallen off/between a spreading rail, otherwise it would still be upright and the rail/sleeper damage would be extensive and obvious to the eye. This train has tipped over completely suggesting high speed round a curve.

[BwindiBoy]

That's some derailment - those carriages are some way from the track and have not just left the track, as I was expecting from the headline. It must have been going way too fast for the track for carriages to have flipped off like that. Good that nobody died - very lucky.

[asiaexpat]

Terrible tragedy , surprised it didnt happen earlier when you see the state of the railways here .... I wish prompt recovery to all injured passenger.

I did happen earlier this month on the same route.

[ginjag]

That was always going to happen. Me and my kids have done BKK-CM several times on the train, and not once has it arrived less than 5 hrs late. And on two occassions it got nowhere near Chiang Mai. It got derailed one time and we had to wait an hour for a bus to drive us three hours to Chiang Mai up the hills.

You can see how ridiculous the "high speed rail link" plans are, when they can't even run this system. Invest for sure, but just make a train that works. We don't need high speed. We have planes for that, 30 minutes to CM, and hardly cost any more than the train.

30 mins by plane from Bangkok to Chiang Mai? So that's where all the old Concords went!

On a more serious note - we should be thankful that no one was killed -

Excessive tail winds. no passengers-or cargo, and a few litres of fuel he would have to do 1000 miles an hour

[Mampara]

You beat me to it harrry. I have the same question.

Who is going to pay the hospital bill of the foreign tourists? The railway is

operated by the Thai State.

State Railway? is there a private railway service?

[Estrada]

Due to the problems and the proposed trans-international rail links with China which uses standard gauge 1,435mm (as do 60% of the rest of the World), the lines are supposed to be upgraded to standard gauge. BTS and MRT trains all run on 1,435mm gauge already. The one metre, medium gauge used in Thailand gives rise to potential derailments due to the carriages narrow footprint in relation to the width of the body.

[VINCENT2012]

thailand is growing 7% a year but they still have an 100 years old train and infrastruture.

the money goes always to the same one and never to the poor people who need something every day.

[Mampara]

That's some derailment - those carriages are some way from the track and have not just left the track, as I was expecting from the headline. It must have been going way too fast for the track for carriages to have flipped off like that. Good that nobody died - very lucky.

Isn't there supposed to be a safety link between the carriages that prevents carriages from following each other in the event of a derailment?

[retell]

how can the train tumble over to the INSIDE of the corner ?

[transam]

how can the train tumble over to the INSIDE of the corner ?

Low tyre pressures................. .......................

[pacovl46]

I'm surprised it fell on its side. Thai trains usually go pretty slowly.

[foxteen]

I think is time for bullet train

[sjjmmi]

how can the train tumble over to the INSIDE of the corner ?

Low tyre pressures................. .......................

Must be Happy Hour now

Edited July 17, 2013 by sjjmmi

[retell]

in Holland they would blaim it on leaves on the track

[harrry]

in Holland they would blaim it on leaves on the track

They just translate "leaves the track" wrong.

[johnlandy]

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

It is like everything else in the realm "wait for a major accident, flood, catastrophe and then AND, only then think about doing something about it'

Little wonder when they have the collective IQ of a 'garden gnome'

[Genericnic]

Glad no one was killed, and I hope the injuries are not serious. They must have all been sleeping, so that's good. I'd rather fly myself. You can get cheap fares now, and I like international regulatory systems when it comes to my personal safety.

It's not only Thailand. There was a terrible train derailment in Quebec a couple of weeks ago. It was all oil tanks, and they forgot to sent the brakes, so it slid down an incline on its own and crashed. Fifty people died. Also a bad derailment in France.

Not to mention the one just outside Paris a few days ago.

David

[jbrain]

how can the train tumble over to the INSIDE of the corner ?

Low tyre pressures................. .......................

I see a job offer coming your way.

[jbrain]

Glad no one was killed, and I hope the injuries are not serious. They must have all been sleeping, so that's good. I'd rather fly myself. You can get cheap fares now, and I like international regulatory systems when it comes to my personal safety.

It's not only Thailand. There was a terrible train derailment in Quebec a couple of weeks ago. It was all oil tanks, and they forgot to sent the brakes, so it slid down an incline on its own and crashed. Fifty people died. Also a bad derailment in France.

Not to mention the one just outside Paris a few days ago.

David

Is there a chance that Paris is in France

[Salapoo]

Initial inspection indicated the accident was caused by faulty track.

The track maintenance dept. will find out it was the train's fault for being there.

[Salapoo]

I think is time for bullet train

Fueled by their nuclear power station.

[Genericnic]

Glad no one was killed, and I hope the injuries are not serious. They must have all been sleeping, so that's good. I'd rather fly myself. You can get cheap fares now, and I like international regulatory systems when it comes to my personal safety.

It's not only Thailand. There was a terrible train derailment in Quebec a couple of weeks ago. It was all oil tanks, and they forgot to sent the brakes, so it slid down an incline on its own and crashed. Fifty people died. Also a bad derailment in France.

Not to mention the one just outside Paris a few days ago.

David

Is there a chance that Paris is in France

Could be, though there is one in Texas as well.

David

[TheGhostWithin]

I am a Railway Network Controller in New Zealand and oversee the manual control of hundreds of passenger service movements daily as well as goods trains.

I personally feel terrible for those who come to Thailand (for the first time or first few times) and do not realise they are dealing with a system which does not consider safety as the main consideration when running services - we do not run services if we are aware of any risk that something such as a derailment will take place, especially not with a passenger train. Tracks infrequently used (less than once per day) are typically inspected by a trained track inspector to reduce the chances of something like this ever happening.

I shudder to think what I was in for when I was making inquiries on working as a network controller in Thailand so that my partner could continue doing what she loved in Thailand (consequently we are both living in NZ now).. and happy they refused me because I did not have a masters degree in engineering (I kid you not), saying that my work in NZ under a manual system as well as one of the worlds most advanced passenger train control systems amounted to nothing.

To those that say the State Railways of Thailand should be sold off, you need to understand that the reason it cannot make a profit is the huge retirement pensions and final payouts staff receive after periods of time with the company - and it is one of those companies you need to do something extremely dumb to lose your job with.

[harryfrompattaya]

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

The Tourist were on the train and they should pay if they want or need hospital treatment they have to take the bad with the good

Maybe it was the tourist fault we have to wait and see

[mrfill]

When I was a kid in UK, well over half a century ago, we had steam trains doing over a 100 mph daily.

And there was also a man called Beeching who, with the help of the Ministry of Transport, recommending closing most of the rail system and spending huge amounts on roads. The road builders were ecstatic and one of the main builders, Marples Ridgway, did very well indeed.

Marples Ridgway was owned by one Mr Ernest Marples, who happened to be the Minister of Transport. No conflict of interest there....

The last steam passenger service was in 1968 and 100mph steam trains were very much the exception 50 years ago. Probably on the East Coast line only.

And in 1967 there was a derailment at Hither Green station in SE London. 49 dead 78 injured. Cause - a broken rail.

Thai trains are relatively safe when compared to road transport in Thailand (mind you, russian roulette is relatively safe in comparison) and falling off a track at 60kph is a better option than dropping from 30000ft.

On the overnight trains BKK-CM and BKK-Nong Khai, you get a comfortable berth, freshly cooked food, can buy beer, have a ciggie and see some of the beautiful countryside that you miss by plane or bus.

Thai trains compare very favourably with Burmese trains which are expensive and very basic. Lao and Cambodian trains don't compare very well - there aren't any.

[DocN]

State Railway should be privatized because its unable to operate at a profit, it has a poor quality record and it needs a total upgrade of tracks, trains, and traffic system because there is a significant demand in Thailand for rail logistics(to reduce dependence on overpcied trucking costs).

And the state can't upgrade tracks, trains and traffic systems ?

It's not a question of can or can't they. They could - IF they had people qualified to do it, which they don't, and IF they actually give a dam_n, which they don't. Why spend a few million upgrading and improving the current rail system, when there is much more personal profit to be made by all those involved in a few hundred million or billion, baht new system that, if 10 years, if run by Thai, will be no better maintained that the current system.

BTS in Bangkok has been running since 2000 without much trouble kind of shoots a hole in your no one qualified, yes it could be better but does what it is supposed to do

Yeah...it shoots a hole in it, if you think that accidents and incidents are just worthy of mentioning, if you have people injured or killed.

Otherwise, you might want to check your facts!