Thai Transport Ministry to build 1,100 more railway crossing barricades

[webfact]

Transport Ministry to build 1,100 more railway crossing barricades

BANGKOK, 7 Nov 2014 (NNT) –The Ministry of Transport is planning to set up 1,109 more railway crossing barricades along with other safety systems starting next year.

Aside from the barricades, the Ministry of Transport intends to install traffic warning lights and speed bumps at 584 spots. Underground crossings and overpasses will also be constructed at railway junctions.

The Department of Highways and the Department of Rural Roads have been assigned to submit the budget plan for the underground and overpass construction project. The allocation of ministerial budgets is expected to be completed within December this year. The project is expected to take three years to complete, starting from 2015.

Earlier, the government approved a budget of over THB500 million for the construction of more than 130 automatic railway crossing barricades. According to deputy permanent secretary of Transport Ministry Chartchai Tipsunave, the implementation plan should be ready for submission to Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong next week.

The government considers the improvement or railway safety as an urgent matter following repeated accidents.


-- NNT 2014-11-07

[Ceruhe]

Always glad to see darwin award winners getting the money flow to places that didn't look safe enough...oh wait.

[trainman34014]

In a country where the masses are prone to constant law breaking and general nonsensical behaviour, the only answer is fully gated crossings and not the offset type that locals will still try to navigate as trains are approaching. Even then i would expect a few idiot pedestrians to climb over the gates.

[NeverSure]

Please wait and tell me after it's done. These future promises that never happen get old.

[nong38]

Some of the barriers will be adjacent to the railways lines, a spokesman commented.

[ChrisY1]

In a country where the masses are prone to constant law breaking and general nonsensical behaviour, the only answer is fully gated crossings and not the offset type that locals will still try to navigate as trains are approaching. Even then i would expect a few idiot pedestrians to climb over the gates.

Saw a video yesterday of exactly that....cars stopped...boom gates down and a stupid motorcycle went though......well....halfway through...now gone to God!

[Pib]

I'm not sure the general population will be pleased with more railroad crossing safety barricades because it will slow down their efforts to overtake the vehicle in front of them, get to another location a minute earlier, maybe cause a street vendor to be displaced a few feet from the railroad tracks, and other extremely important things. Safety in Thailand? What's that? Isn't "Safety First" slogans/signs everywhere good enough?

[webfact]

More installations of safe lights and bell alarms planned for railway crossings next year

The Transport Ministry plans to install lights, bell alarms, and barricades at 1,109 more railway crossings to ensure safe crossing by vehicles following a slate of fatal accidents in the past few weeks.

Aside from the barricades, traffic warning lights, speed bumps at 584 spots, underground crossings and overpasses will also be constructed at railway junctions.

The Department of Highways and the Department of Rural Roads have been assigned to submit the budget plan for the underground and overpass construction project.

The allocation of budgets is expected to be completed within this year.

The project is expected to take three years to complete, starting next year.

Earlier, the government approved a budget of over 500 million baht for the construction of more than 130 automatic railway crossing barricades.

According to deputy permanent secretary of Transport Ministry Chartchai Tipsunave, the implementation plan should be ready for submission to Minister of Transport Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong next week.

The government considers the improvement or railway safety as an urgent matter following repeated accidents.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/installations-safe-lights-bell-alarms-planned-railway-crossings-next-year/


-- Thai PBS 2014-11-07

[Pattaya28]

Next Year

By then there could be 10 20 30 more fatalities.

On the positive, better later than never.

On the negative, next year may never happen.

[BSJ]

Seems like a waste of money considering other issues are still unaddressed.

[poohy]

Yesterday the railway blocked a popular unauthorized crossing opposite my house, a few near misses with motor cycles getting stuck in the rickety wooden planks over the last year.

However Today as I type this locals are dismantling! it to go to the real crossing is another kilometer one lady explained to my wife....

It shows a special sort of stupid

[chainarong]

Cold comfort for those that are left to pick up their life after losing a loved one , however the per -way is state rail authority land and when crossing rail tracks you are actually trespassing till you clear the other side, it is indeed amazing that crossing protection can be installed at such short notice, seeing the tracks have been there since they changed from elephant transport.

[pisico]

Proactive Thailand.... NOT !!

[geoffP]

Yesterday the railway blocked a popular unauthorized crossing opposite my house, a few near misses with motor cycles getting stuck in the rickety wooden planks over the last year.

However Today as I type this locals are dismantling! it to go to the real crossing is another kilometer one lady explained to my wife....

It shows a special sort of stupid

Let them play silly sods chasing the Darwin-awards but please spare a thought for the poor bugger driving the engine that hits them. Whilst their "souls" are swanning around in never-never land, the driver will suffer agony for the accident for the rest of his/her life.