Thailand to Re-Launches Women-Only Train Carriages

 

BANGKOK – The first Ladies and Children Rail Carriages opened today to return confidence to train passengers after a recent disturbing  fatal assault on a 10 year old school girl, according to Prasert Attanan, acting State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor.

The ‘Ladies and Children Car’ is especially reserved for women, girls and boys aged lower than 10. The special bogies are available on the northern route between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, northeastern route between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani and southern route between Bangkok and Su-ngai Kolok.

All janitors and inspection officers on the car are women. Passengers can notice the Ladies and Children Car with a particular logo depicting a woman and child in pink and purple colors.

The railway authority said the new carriage service will ensure the safety and convenience of female and children passengers. Since the girl’s death, alcohol testing has begun on railway employees, and public health agencies have called for alcohol to be banned on trains altogether.

The women-only carriages had been canceled previously due to profit losses.

Meanwhile, Commuters on board Train No. 170 from Yala to Bangkok were stunned yesterday as the train ran off its tracks. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Police Lieutenant Jaturong Saiyota, an inquiry official from the Noppawong Police Station, revealed that the incident took place about 500 meters from the Bang Sue train station in Bangkok.

The 12-bogey long train was scheduled to be heading back to Yala after it had dropped off passengers in Bangkok. However, just moments after it set off, the front wheel of the trains had fallen out of its tracks.

Authorities have arranged another train to pick-up the stranded passengers to the Hua Lampong Train Station before making repairs.

Mr. Jaturong stated that as the train was not moving at a high speed, the accident was far from serious. Nonetheless, authorities have sent damaged parts of the train for further inspection.