Five people killed and 20 others injured at an uncontrolled railway crossing in Khon Kaen province

[webfact]

Five people killed and 20 others injured at an uncontrolled railway crossing in Khon Kaen province

Image source: Top News Th

BANGKOK: -- Five people were killed and 20 others injured when a passenger train from Nakhon Ratchasima to Khon Kaen rammed at a 18-wheel trailer at an uncontrolled railway crossing in Khon Kaen province Thursday morning.

The killed included the train driver, two train staffers and a Buddhist monk.

The trailer, loaded with soils, was hit in the middle when it crossed the railway crossing while the train was approaching at high speed.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/69909/

-- Thai PBS 2014-10-30

[JOC]

Seriously, what do you say??

RIP?

Again?

Why?

[Crossy]

That's three in as many days, is it silly season for not looking at crossings?

Sad that at least four of the dead were totally innocent, what happened to the truck driver?

[JOC]

And this country wants High Speed Trains!!

[ginjag]

And this country wants High Speed Trains!!

It's getting SLOWER high speed trains.

[55Jay]

I guess the 5th person killed was a real nobody, not even worth a mention.

[Fred Flinstone]

We recently a rode bullet train throughout Japan -

Fast modern and Safe -

In Thailand you wonder getting in any form of transport on land or sea.

Sad

[Eddy B]

A lot of the problems are people building illigal crossing so that they can get somewhere faster and not cross at a proper signal crossing because they are too impatient. We had one not far from my house, near a local school and parents used to use it all the time to take their kids to school. Luckily the local council blocked it with massive concrete barriers so now no one can cross there.

[Commerce]

That's three in as many days, is it silly season for not looking at crossings?

Sad that at least four of the dead were totally innocent, what happened to the truck driver?

Isn't every day silly season for something or other, here?

It's awful that the train driver and some staff succumbed to fatal deaths, when simply doing their routine jobs.

I'm sure you can guess what happened to the truck driver... if his cabin was over the other side, he fled, of course.

[ExPratt]

They will be done away with on any new or renewal project, In this part of the world they are usually replace by 2 bridges , 1 for cars and one for people and motorbikes

[chainarong]

It is of no use to anybody having third world design engineers trying to fit into 21st century world thinking , something has to give , so before we all sign off on the blueprints for the new rail system to be built , be it from China or the Mars-Venus rail corporation , could we do a cross check and make sure all designated level crossings either go above or below the permanent way. and ensure that within the design criteria no one can access the per-way at any time, ie make their own crossing points or night market venues.

[Briggsy]

My experience is locals tend to avoid bridges crossing over roads and railways if possible.

The prevailing belief (or excuse) is that bridges are routinely frequented by muggers and rapists.

In addition, many locals do not consider the effort involved in climbing some steps worth the added safety of not being run over by a car or a train.

As one poster has already mentioned, they do however enjoy building improptu crossings (not involving any steps) but often involving small added patches of earth or stones and holes cut in fences, thus allowing pedestrians and motorbikes to cross where previously impossible.

[Thai at Heart]

Train approaching at high speed? On the korat line?

[seajae]

when thais are able to understand that they do sometimes have to wait for others this will stop. Too many drivers simply refuse to wait for anyone else, they go out of their way to cut others drivers off, run rd lights, turn from the wrong lanes etc because they refuse to give way to anyone else(loss of face?), in this instance and the other ones the driver refused to wait for a train so he tried to beat it across or thought it would stop for him. Have to wonder if the truck driver ran away like they usually do, he isnt mentioned in the article at all

[webfact]

Train and truck crash leaves four dead, 20 injured



BANGKOK: -- Four people, including the train driver, died and 20 others injured when a third class passenger train crashed into a ten wheel truck at a railway crossing in Khon Kaen province Thursday morning.

Sila station police said the incident happened at the uncontrolled crossing at Ban Nongkung in Tambon Sila of Muang district of Khon Kaen.

The No 415 Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai train with four passenger bogies was heading for Nong Khai when the driver, Phet Pandee, saw the truck was crossing the rail line at the uncontrolled railway crossing.

He blew the horn and put the brake but still the train could not stop at once and rammed into the middle of the truck.

The train dragged the badly damaged truck for 30 metres before its derailed.
The driver and three others who included the train mechanics, a monk and a passenger were killed.

The truck driver was seriously injured.
Twenty other passengers were also injured.

All were later admitted to three hospitals in Khon Kaen for treatment.

The police said the railway crossing has no signal and barricades to warn motorists of incoming trains.

This driver might be unfamiliar with the place, and therefore was not aware of the train, police said.

However they have booked the driver for questioning and find out if he had taken any drug or being drunk.

The train accident halted train service from Nakhon Ratchasima to other destinations beyond.

Railway officials have sent a crane to lift the derailed train out of the line.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/train-truck-crash-leaves-four-dead-20-injured/


-- Thai PBS 2014-10-30

[canopus1969]

This driver might be unfamiliar with the place, and therefore was not aware of the train, police said.

Would have thought the rail tracks would have been a clue that trains run on it and so to take care ?

[webfact]

Khon Kaen train collision kills four people

KHON KAEN, 30 October 2014 (NNT) – A passenger train has crashed into an 18-wheeler truck in the Khon Kaen province, killing four people and injuring 20 others.

The train traveling from Nakhon Ratchasima to Khon Kaen collided with the truck at a railway crossing on Thursday morning. Two train staff and two passengers on board the four-bogie train were instantly killed during the accident.

Local authorities are conducting a clean-up operation in the area and all train services running through the route are temporarily suspended.

The accident followed another railway crossing collision in Phetchaburi province on October 28th that killed two people, in which a car collided into a moving train.


-- NNT 2014-10-30

[55Jay]

Thailand isn't afflicted with 1st world-itis.

The top tier in the country know about it though. They know all that fancy stuff has to be paid for and once you start engineering for the dumbest people in society, and unforeseen events like rain falling from the sky, that normal people will start to get used to it, demanding higher and higher standards = more and more projects = more and more money. It's nearly impossible to stop once it takes hold, so the solution is obvious.

People do, however, keep making donations to the Wat to build some new, elaborate gazebo next to the other elaborate gazebo, which is next to the furnace where they burn the steady supply of bodies, and tell the families it was all caused by other events. Nobody is at fault. Seems to work well here. Next.

[pisico]

It is of no use to anybody having third world design engineers trying to fit into 21st century world thinking , something has to give , so before we all sign off on the blueprints for the new rail system to be built , be it from China or the Mars-Venus rail corporation , could we do a cross check and make sure all designated level crossings either go above or below the permanent way. and ensure that within the design criteria no one can access the per-way at any time, ie make their own crossing points or night market venues.

Your logical proposal runs against the grain of Thainess.

[bangrak]

That's three in as many days, is it silly season for not looking at crossings?

Sad that at least four of the dead were totally innocent, what happened to the truck driver?

Better to look at, or for..., the brains of the silly car and truck drivers. Also part of Thainess, I guess, 'nothing can happen to me, cause ...'. No flashing strong red light nor loud bell can change anything to that, even when they can see the nearing train they still go for it, even between the fences of protected crossings, go figure... A next moron has made some innocent victims again! R.I.P., and my sympathy to the relatives.

(N.B.: in Europe, f.i., the railroad companies often advertise about trains being the safest way to travel, here I don't expect the newspapers will dare to publish the number of the incidents over the full year 2014, mind you, with generally slow trains, expect the deathtoll to rise together with the speed in the future...)

[razer]

When I first came to Bangkok and saw the old, rickety, open air commuter trains I was shocked, and especially by the "train station" next to the Ratchatewi BTS. I was under the impression that BKK was a modern cosmopolitan city. I am sure when tourists see this they get their money's worth in feeling like they are having a third world adventure.

I think it's time to fire a lot of people, hire some competent people willing to work and bring Thailand's train system into the second half of the 20th century.

[halloween]

Should the truck driver survive his injuries, I hope that he will be charged with 5 counts of culpable negligence causing death or the equivalent charge, and incarcerated for the rest of his natural. People that stupid shouldn't be allowed to breed.

[dutchinlondon]

It seems very hard for drivers to stop at a train crossing. This is not typical Thai. but it happens everywhere. Even with barriers the imbeciles can't wait till the train is passed.

[Estrada]

That's three in as many days, is it silly season for not looking at crossings?

Sad that at least four of the dead were totally innocent, what happened to the truck driver?

It's four, 3 on tuesday(Hua Hin Line, Pattaya line, Phitsanalok) and 1 today.

There used to be SRT railway crossing attendants at most level crossings. It sounds like they can't afford to pay them anymore.

[soalbundy]

increased safety is working a treat then

[johnlandy]

And this country wants High Speed Trains!!

Exactly! When they couldn't manage a model railway set up for entertaining your kids.

[wabothai]

We have to see things in perspective. Most of us were attracted to Thailand because it was different. Things happening here are just that difference, just my opinion.

[Neeranam]

Seriously, what do you say??

RIP?

Again?

Why?

Why would you say RIP to a Buddhist?

They come back again.

[Neeranam]

And this country wants High Speed Trains!!

Exactly! When they couldn't manage a model railway set up for entertaining your kids.

Have you never seen the BTS or underground?

[SjaakNL2013]

We have to see things in perspective. Most of us were attracted to Thailand because it was different. Things happening here are just that difference, just my opinion.

I agree with you..... but in the 20+ years i live here it seems that less and less people care for each other.