Picture by David JonesThe Eastern & Oriental Express train at the Bridge over the River Kwai
Two Japanese women were injured, when the Eastern & Oriental Express train derailed on Sunday 27 July 2014 at a curve in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi province, near Sa Kosi Narai station, reports Khaosod. The train was traveling to the River Kwai Bridge in Kanchanaburi province. Five out of 18 carriages have jumped off the tracks, as Bangkok Post notes. Officials from the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said acoording to Khaosod that heavy rain may have caused the train track to sink and widen, causing the derailment. But an investigation is ongoing. The railway line was closed and reopened on Monday after repairs.
But tourists should be aware, that derailment is common on Thai railways, due to old facilities and a lack of proper maintenance. The State Railway of Thailand is now preparing to provide accident and life insurance to railway staff and passengers, as Bangkok Post adds. The insurance will also pay, when someone is murdered on the train. This after the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl, a passenger on an SRT train, has sparked public fear about railway services. She was attacked by an SRT worker on a night train from from Surat Thani to Bangkok earlier this month.
