Trains collide in Ayutthaya, several people injured

[halloween]

So the train behind crashed into the train in front. I bet that woke the driver up !

More likely he was one of the injured, assuming he wasn't killed. Your concern is noted.

This is much more likely to be a switching and/or signalling fault than that of the driver.

Why you say that? Isn't the driver suppose to be in charge of the controls and be alert/Awake and look what is in front of him/train so he can see an other train slowing down or stopped in front of him?

Even if he could see it, that doesn't mean he was able to stop in time. Trains have a long stopping distance.

It seems though that the incident was caused by stupidity.

[Fookhaht]

Yet the Thais still expect and demand, to take over the actual operation and management after just a few years, of the new Chinese/Thai medium-speed standard-gauge freight-railway system ?

On current/recent evidence they're simply not ready for this.

Two really SCARY Tweets that showed up on one page today....

[mrfill]

Time for a crack down on "train system maintenance".

And how will that prevent a driver going through a danger signal?

[mrfill]

"Rare collision" - but there have been 3 collisions in the last 2 weeks. Nicely reported.

I don't think you can count pick up trucks as trains. It is rare for two trains to collide.

[zimba]

I was in the bloody thing last night

the train crew response was very good

had med kits out and were patching people up

the rescue volunteers were a great help assisting people

and so were the ambo's and the army, police,

but the railway station staff were just wandering about like headless chooks

nobody in charge, no info, generally no idea

get on this train to Nong Khai, no no no, change to that train, no no no change back to first train etc

more people than seats, no water etc bloody shambles at the station Luggage everwhere

but what I saw of the second engine's driver and engineer

past serious injury

poor buggers

now the fight to get compensated for my luggage etc

[FredNL]

It was not immediately clear what caused the wreck in the central province of Ayutthaya, just north of Bangkok.

The State Railway of Thailand posted a statement on their Facebook page saying a northern-bound train crashed into the rear of another train.

Cause: Most of the times when the 2nd train is going faster than the 1st train.

[weegee]

If I remember correctly the rules for running trains on a single track system (with electric signals) include:

1/ Being vigilant at all times.

2/ In the hours of darkness or inclement weather calculate train speed/distance covered so that the crew can anticipate the arrival at the next station.

3/ Be aware of train schedules for the days running.

4/ Reduce speed if necessary

5/ Stop the train at the next home signal, use the trackside phone and contact train control if signal failure occurs.

If the rules are written properly and the train crew do their job accidents should not happen!

Your last sentence covers it completely....sadly....operative word is IF

[Artisi]

Reckless driving blamed for train collision

AYUTTHAYA: -- More than 50 passengers were injured, two seriously, when a Bangkok-Denchai passenger train rammed at the rear of the Bangkok-Nong Khai train near Phachee district of Ayutthaya last night.

Reckless driving was blamed as cause of the incident which happened as the State Railways of Thailand celebrated its 118th establishment anniversary yesterday.

The rare collision which engaged two trains occurred at about 10.00 pm between Marb Phrachan and Phrakaew railway stations in Phachee district.

It was the third serious accident in less than two weeks when earlier yesterday a train hit a pickup truck killing its driver in Trang, and seven Myanmar migrant workers were killed when the pickup truck they travelled in was crashed by a passenger train in Chiang Mai.

In last night’s incident, all injured passengers and the driver of the Bangkok-Denchai passenger train and mechanic were admitted to Ayutthaya and Phachee hospitals.

By Friday morning, governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Mr Wuthichart Kalayanamitr said all the slightly injured passengers were discharged from the hospitals after primary medical treatment, except six who included the driver and the mechanic.

The incident, he said, did not disrupt northbound rail services because it happened in the area where there are three tracks.

He said the collision happened on the third track.

However some of damaged train bogies fell off the track and obstructed another track , leaving only one track still in service.

He said railway engineers and workers are now at the scene with huge cranes.

The obstructed bogies were expected to be removed from the tracks and service of the two tracks is expected to be back to normal by 3 pm today.

The governor said reckless driving was blamed to be the cause.

He said the driver of the No 107 Bangkok-Denchai express train was supposed to wait before getting the green light to go.

However he might be in a haste and drove off thinking that the No 69 Bangkok-Nong Khai train might has already departed the substation, not knowing the train he was trailing behind was still on the track.

He said the No 69 train parked on the track because it had braking problem.

It was the recklessness of the No 107 train driver who violated the traffic sign, he said, adding that the SRT will compensate all passengers for damages caused to them by the accident.

Among the injured are an American identified as Mr John Charles Holsopple, 52, and a Singaporean Mr Lee Sangmin, 27.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/reckless-driving-blamed-for-train-collision

-- Thai PBS 2015-03-27

Driver forgot he was driving a train, thought he was in his car - so why worry about a red light or why wait for the green - just drive on no worries.

[mrjonyoung]

i bet he tried to overtake the other train but forgot he couldn't change lanes. It happens.

[Tokay]

"Rare collision" - but there have been 3 collisions in the last 2 weeks. Nicely reported.

Looks like I missed one!

You know there are too many train crashes when they are sneaking by you.

[Beng]

Amazing T again. They must hold the world record for derailments and other rail related mishaps.

[fred Kubasa]

HO HUM ! Just another day.

[EyesWideOpen]

Guess when the high speed trains start crashing the wrecks will be really

exciting..... Got a laugh out of the last big train wreck down in south Thailand

where the driver of the train did a runner and left the scene. Guess the

driver of this train did not have that option.

[lemerou]

So I was supposed to take that line yesterday night.

But all trains are canceled until tomorrow according to the ticket self staff.

Had to take a flight nokair.

Kept thinking to myself 'hope this pilot is not depressed'.

[soalbundy]

I thought that the general had ordered that the trains were not to have accidents, didn't work eh ?

[beowolf2012]

Reckless driving blamed for train collision

AYUTTHAYA: -- More than 50 passengers were injured, two seriously, when a Bangkok-Denchai passenger train rammed at the rear of the Bangkok-Nong Khai train near Phachee district of Ayutthaya last night.

Reckless driving was blamed as cause of the incident which happened as the State Railways of Thailand celebrated its 118th establishment anniversary yesterday.

The rare collision which engaged two trains occurred at about 10.00 pm between Marb Phrachan and Phrakaew railway stations in Phachee district.

It was the third serious accident in less than two weeks when earlier yesterday a train hit a pickup truck killing its driver in Trang, and seven Myanmar migrant workers were killed when the pickup truck they travelled in was crashed by a passenger train in Chiang Mai.

In last night’s incident, all injured passengers and the driver of the Bangkok-Denchai passenger train and mechanic were admitted to Ayutthaya and Phachee hospitals.

By Friday morning, governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Mr Wuthichart Kalayanamitr said all the slightly injured passengers were discharged from the hospitals after primary medical treatment, except six who included the driver and the mechanic.

The incident, he said, did not disrupt northbound rail services because it happened in the area where there are three tracks.

He said the collision happened on the third track.

However some of damaged train bogies fell off the track and obstructed another track , leaving only one track still in service.

He said railway engineers and workers are now at the scene with huge cranes.

The obstructed bogies were expected to be removed from the tracks and service of the two tracks is expected to be back to normal by 3 pm today.

The governor said reckless driving was blamed to be the cause.

He said the driver of the No 107 Bangkok-Denchai express train was supposed to wait before getting the green light to go.

However he might be in a haste and drove off thinking that the No 69 Bangkok-Nong Khai train might has already departed the substation, not knowing the train he was trailing behind was still on the track.

He said the No 69 train parked on the track because it had braking problem.

It was the recklessness of the No 107 train driver who violated the traffic sign, he said, adding that the SRT will compensate all passengers for damages caused to them by the accident.

Among the injured are an American identified as Mr John Charles Holsopple, 52, and a Singaporean Mr Lee Sangmin, 27.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/reckless-driving-blamed-for-train-collision

-- Thai PBS 2015-03-27

In Denmark we have ATC ( automatic train control ) If Thailand also had this accident will stop and save live ATC is make if a train driver had over see a red light the train will stop automatic....

[BSJ]

Time for a crack down on "train system maintenance".

And how will that prevent a driver going through a danger signal?

In Melbourne Australia the suburban trains cannot pass a red home signal or a track side switch will apply the brakes. At ground level near each home signal is an arm that extends to the nearest rail head and is at a height that can make contact with an arm of a valve, on the suburban set leading bogey, that is connected to the train brake pipe. If the valve opens compressed air is expelled from the brake pipe and the brakes are applied.

Checkout the pix's. For any railway it's a simple installation.

[Lokie]

Is either signalling fault or driver error but with the 3 way track split/switch of this Single track, Single direction Mainline ( I would edge my bets that the Signaller has turned the train onto wrong track) by not re-switching the points back for a 'Through road' to run passed the leading train stood awaiting signal to clear (green) to entrance to the Station (or diverging track) I reckon the driver of second train had a clear signal (should have been a yellow (caution) to proceed past the junction, yes... the Bobby (Signaller) prob dropped a huge clanger and simply forgot to switch back the points thus as we say here in Blighty, He made a rite <deleted> of it!

[zydeco]

Does any other country have as many train mishaps as Thailand? Thank God the trains are so old and slow that they can't do too much damage when they go off the rails. The thought of new high speed rail really frightens me.

[moe666]

I would never ride the train in Thailand