Uttaradit Chiang Mai train service closed for 45 days
Uttaradit – Chiang Mai rail service will be closed for maintenance from September 16 – October 31. The decision came after a train has derailed while traveling through Phrae Province. Replacement buses to cover the distance will be proposed by SRT .
it is a wise decision to close the line for repair and renovation
Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Prapat Chongsanguan disclosed that a 300-kilometer rail line from Sila-art station in Uttaradit to Chiang Mai will be closed for repair after a recent derailment in Phrae. He revealed that since the beginning of this year, there have been 13 derailments so far. According to him, the maintenance will cost around 2.8 billion baht which will be spent on new sleepers and tracks as well as the replacement of soil with stone under the track along the route. The governor also expressed his confidence that there would be no more derailments after the maintenance, adding that suspension of the rail service will help speed up the maintenance as the operation is expected to be complete by December 31st.
The last derailment occurred last Thursday night when a train to Bangkok jumped off the rails around 11 p.m in Long district in the province of Phrae. There were more than 200 passengers on the train. Fortunately nobody was injured. The SRT had repaired the track and the service resumed the next day at 9 a.m. July 17, 2013, there was another derailment concerning a Bangkok – Chiang Mai train. This time at least 30 passengers were injured, five seriously. It was therefore important to secure the track as soon as possible.
