Chiang Rai News
Bangkok-Chiang Mai Train Derails Once Again, Fourth Time in Six Weeks
LAMPANG – The Chiang Mai-Bangkok train jumped off the tracks on Friday near the spot in Hang Chat district where a similar incident took place last week, taking the total number of derailments on the route to four in the space of six weeks.
The Chiang Mai-Bangkok free service carrying around 80 passengers was on its way to the capital when it derailed at 8.10am.
The incident is the fourth derailment on the northern line since July 13 and the tenth for the the State Railway of Thailand this year.
The accident happened between kilometre markers 675 and 676, near Ban Mae Tan Noi in, close to the spot where a previous derailment took place on Aug 17.
A team of 50 mechanics and workers rushed to the scene. No one was hurt.
It took workers three hours to salvage the train, which had to be towed to Nakhon Lampang railway station by another train. The front carriage of the derailed train was changed before rail service resumed.
Train authorities believe the tracks where the accident occurred may have expanded, causing the train to derail as the driver attempted to negotiate a bend.
A Bangkok-Chiang Mai express train heading to Chiang Mai derailed in the Ban Khao Phlueng tunnel in Uttaradit’s Muang district on Aug 3, while on July 13, the overnight express train derailed in Den Chai district of Phrae.
