First train back to North derails, with SRT governor on board
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The first train to re-launch services to the North after weeks of closure for railway maintenance, travelling with State Railway of Thailand Governor Prapat Chongsanguan on board, derailed yesterday morning, just when the Bangkok-Chiang Mai express was ab
Services on the route were suspended for the day pending officials’ clearing the derailed bogie away.
This derailment, reportedly involving the last bogie that was set up as a conference room, reportedly resulted from an error by an official in Lamphun in switching the track too fast – not from the condition of the rail line, Prapat said yesterday.
Services between Uttaradit and Chiang Mai in the North had been closed since October so wooden sleepers could be replaced by concrete ones, following many earlier derailments.
Prapat said earlier he would be the first person to take responsibility and ready to resign if there were derailments after the maintenance period.
