There were two derailments in the South on Thursday morning - a freight train carrying gravel in Songkhla province and a passenger train in Trang province. There were no injuries, but the two lines were closed.
In Songkhla, freight train No.1552 derailed at Bang Klam railway station around 9am. The locomotive and one car jumped the tracks. The 12 other cars loaded with gravel were not affected.
The train crew were unhurt, but the derailment was on the main line and services from Bangkok to Hat Yai and three southern border provinces were brought to a halt.
Trains travelling from Bangkok to the South were stopped at Khuan Nian railway station in Khuan Niang district of Songkhla, while services from Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat were halted at Hat Yai railway station.
Railway work gangs were at the scene but it was expected to be several hours before the track was reopened.
In Trang province, a passenger train from Bangkok ran off the rails between Huai Yot station and Trang railway station. All services on the line were halted until work gangs could clear the tracks.
The State Railway of Thailand announced in mid-afternoon the Trang line was being cleared and was expected to reopen about 4pm. It was finally reopened about 4.30pm, allowing services to resume.
It said a sleeping car on Bangkok-Trang express train No.83 jumped the rails around 9am, closing the track.
The derailment also affected Bangkok-Trang rapid train No.167 that left Bangkok on Wednesday evening. The train was halted at Thung Song railway station in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The SRT had arranged buses to take all passengers to their destinations. An investigation into the cause of the derailment was underway.
Passengers wanting to return tickets or seek further information could contact the SRT’s customer service via hotline 1690 around the clock.
(Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)
(Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)
The Trang line is reopened about 4.30pm, more than seven hours after it was closed by derailment of a sleeping car on Trang-bound express train. (Photo by Methee Muangkaew)