SRT to ask PM Prayut to shut down high-risk railway crossings

[webfact]

SRT to ask PM to shut down high-risk railway crossings



BANGKOK: -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will propose Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha to shut down railway crossings which are highly unsafe and may lead to fatal accidents involving trains and cars, said SRT governor Wutthichart Kalayanamit on Wednesday.

He said that SRT officials recently met with officials of the Interior Ministry to discuss measures to reduce accidents at railway crossings across the country.

The Interior Ministry has ordered all provincial governors to find out how many railways crossings there are in their respective provinces and whether their numbers and locations match with the information of the SRT.

According to the SRT information, there are currently 2,624 railway crossings of which 1,935 are legal and the rest illegal or not approved by the SRT.

Governor Wutthichart said once the Interior Ministry’s data about railway crossings is completed and double-checked with the SRT’s and high-risk crossings are identified, the SRT would ask the prime minister to exercise his special power to shut down those dangerous crossings.

The SRT, he said, will look for alternative crossings which are safer for motorists.

To ensure better safety for motorists, the Interior Ministry has ordered that civilian volunteers be deployed at railway crossings in accordance with the railway timetables.

Moreover, the SRT will ask local communities not to arbitrarily build railway crossings without prior permission from the SRT.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/164770


-- Thai PBS 2016-05-26

[EricBerg]

It's a start. SRT should have more power in the decision of where crossings can be made and where not. Local communities should not have any right to decide about the crossings, save actually making one. Communities can ask and advise about the crossings, nothing more than that. They do not have the expertise.

[BigBadGeordie]

So they plan to position volunteers at crossings "in accordance with the railway timetables". Good luck with that one, can just hear the call now, "yes, yes train coming this afternoon, be there around 12:30, should be there before dark (maybe)".

[baboon]

It's a start. SRT should have more power in the decision of where crossings can be made and where not. Local communities should not have any right to decide about the crossings, save actually making one. Communities can ask and advise about the crossings, nothing more than that. They do not have the expertise.

Exactly. Why on earth should an issue like this need a resolution at prime ministerial level?

[cumgranosalum]

It's a start. SRT should have more power in the decision of where crossings can be made and where not. Local communities should not have any right to decide about the crossings, save actually making one. Communities can ask and advise about the crossings, nothing more than that. They do not have the expertise.

I find it very disturbing that the SRT were not held at least partly responsible for the deaths that occured in the recent (videoed) bus accident.

Health and safety is just a haphazard affair in Thailand - a country that not only can easily afford to do more, but would in time save TRILLIONS of baht in the process.

[mtls2005]

Hopefully the civilian volunteers are not allowed to take 'selfies', or charge for 'crossings'?

Looking forward to those HSR trains.

[seajae]

there are illegal crossings all over the country be they railway or roads. Its hard when you have people that have no regard for safety and basically want to do what ever is easiest, being killed or causing the death of others is not even considered. They have a load of dirt dumped into the drains dividing roads so they can get to their side of the road easier and often cut off oncoming traffic doing so, same with railway crossings. Trouble is without police doing their jobs of patrolling and catching these idiots it will never stop, even deaths do not hinder them, just gives them some more blood and guts to stand around & look at, go figure

[Caveat Emptor]

It's a start. SRT should have more power in the decision of where crossings can be made and where not. Local communities should not have any right to decide about the crossings, save actually making one. Communities can ask and advise about the crossings, nothing more than that. They do not have the expertise.

Exactly. Why on earth should an issue like this need a resolution at prime ministerial level?

Your point is so relevant but avoiding making a decision and therefore responsibility comes to mind plus the PM does love to micro-manage everything.

I would also suggest perhaps fear of him if something goes wrong.

Anyway how much do local communities bother with official directives if they affect them doing exactly what they want ?

[gandalf12]

It's a start. SRT should have more power in the decision of where crossings can be made and where not. Local communities should not have any right to decide about the crossings, save actually making one. Communities can ask and advise about the crossings, nothing more than that. They do not have the expertise.

I find it very disturbing that the SRT were not held at least partly responsible for the deaths that occured in the recent (videoed) bus accident.

Health and safety is just a haphazard affair in Thailand - a country that not only can easily afford to do more, but would in time save TRILLIONS of baht in the process.

"Health and safety" are foreign swear words and definitely should not be used when other people are around

[sanukjim]

That would be almost all crossings closed.

[phoenixdoglover]

Always the quick fix. Section 44 the sucker.

What is reform?

[slapout]

If the photo shows what is refered to as a crossing of concern, just add more concrete barriers and block off what appears to be the motocycle shortcut used by locals. If that does not suit you or your budget put up a barbed wire fence or coiled razor wire. That will take care of 700_+ danger points, already said as illegal as is the one pictured. Some people need help getting dressed each day and it would appear its people like this who would propose approaching the Pm to solve a problem which is basically the public breaking the law , and not paying attention to their own safety.

I grew up where there were uncontrolled crossing every mile in the country. The only controlled crossing were on main highways and in the city limits. The traverller was warned by signs about 1/2 kilometer from the track/road junction or just by posting a pole with reflective warning of rr crossing ahead ( for night time)

[tuanku]

Sorted!

[Redline]

Jeez, they don't even know where the crossings are? AMAZING Penalties~0