Korat residents call for repair of flooded tunnel under railway
Residents of a village in Nakhon Ratchasima called on Monday for the State Railway of Thailand to urgently drain floodwater from a tunnel passing under a double-track railway that has been flooded for more than a week.
Residents of Ban Khok Phet village in Tambon Muang Khong of Nakhon Ratchasima’s Khong district complained that no action had been taken to drain the tunnel which, said Setthapol Namboonla, head of Ban Khok Phet village, linked his village to Ban Khok Phet School.
The level of water under the Jira-Khon Kaen double-track railway is some two-metres deep, making it impassable by all vehicles.
Setthapol said students also used the sidewalks in the tunnel to walk to school but since the flooding had been forced to walk three kilometres each way to school, prompting some of them to risk being hit by a train when crossing the railway above.
The village head said there must be something wrong with the tunnel because it was always flooded after heavy rain. During the construction period, the contractor had to regularly drain the floodwaters but no maintenance has been carried out since the construction was completed, causing inconvenience to local residents.
“We would like the SRT to urgently fix it. And we would like the SRT to tell us who we should contact when we need help so that the problems can be tackled promptly,’ the village headman said.