Thai Railway Police come to end of the line after 129 years protecting passengers

The Railway Police Division (RPD) will be disbanded on Tuesday (October 17) and absorbed into other units under the National Police Bureau.

Railway police were established in 1894 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), under the name Railway Security Unit. They were later reorganised and renamed the Railway Police Unit before eventually being upgraded to the Railway Police Division. Railway police stations are situated throughout the country.

The RPD’s main duties are supervising railway-related investigations and combating criminal activity within the railway system.

It has jurisdiction over more than 450 railway stations and over 4,000 kilometres of track with more than 5,000 railway crossings. It is charged with protecting the safety of more than 30 million passengers annually.

The RPD’s workforce of over 600 personnel cover more than 240 passenger trains, excluding freight trains, and is spread across 15 railway police stations with service units at 40 railway stations.

Each train is typically accompanied by at least two railway police officers who are responsible for ensuring passenger safety throughout the entire journey.

Railway police operate under the jurisdiction of the Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police.

Pol Maj-General Chairop Junnawat, the last commander of the RPD, said his division is the main agency responsible for ensuring the safety of almost everything related to the railway system in Thailand.

Over the years, the RPD has arrested numerous drug traffickers and smugglers of tax-evading goods, who have turned to trains as a means of transporting their illicit cargo.

From Tuesday, responsibility for ensuring safety on trains will fall to the State Railway of Thailand. The SRT may reportedly employ safety personnel onboard passenger trains to replace railway police.

The RPD is being dissolved according to the National Police Act of 2022.