Department of Rail Transport orders safety overhaul after deadly crane incident

The Department of Rail Transport on Wednesday ordered a review of five safety protocols for the construction of the elevated Thai-Chinese high-speed railway following a fatal accident during construction in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Si Khiew district.

After the accident at 9:45 AM, Pichet Kunathammrak, the department's director-general, rushed to inspect the scene.

He expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the accident and ordered a review of safety protocols as follows:

• Strict Structure Inspection & Testing: Perform a 100% inspection of the crane before, during, and after use.

• Overload Protection System: Install an automatic power-off system (Auto Shutdown) and a real-time warning signal when weight exceeds the limit.

• Job Hazard Analysis (JHA): Develop a Job Hazard Analysis plan and regularly conduct crane tipping emergency drills.

• Close Supervision by Engineers: Ensure that a qualified engineer is present at the worksite, with certification and documentation available for retroactive inspection at every stage.

• No Work During Train Passage: Crane operation is prohibited in close proximity when a train is passing. Coordination with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) must be strictly followed.

"The Department of Rail Transport will urgently investigate the true cause, whether it is due to equipment failure or human error, in order to determine penalties and establish preventive measures to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again," Pichet said.

The incident occurred around 9:45 AM when the Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani special express train struck the launching gantry blocking its path. Traveling at high speed, the impact caused the train to derail.

The launching gantry was used to lay beams for the elevated high-speed railway being built over the existing railway tracks on the ground.

This part of the construction was under the third and fourth contracts, which cover Lam Ta Kong-Si Khiew and Kudjik-Khok Kruad. The contracts were awarded to Italian-Thai Development Plc. As of December last year, construction on these sections was 99.54% complete.

Eyewitnesses said that when the beam launcher fell, the train happened to arrive, and the driver could not stop in time.

As of 2:20 PM, authorities reported that the death toll had risen to 28, with 64 other passengers injured.