Reopening of Phasadet, Hin Lap tunnels delayed
The resumption of rail services through the Phasadet and Hin Lap tunnels has again been postponed to ensure that no dust or smoke remains, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) said on Monday.
SRT stopped services through the tunnels, which form part of the Northeast dual-track route from Saraburi’s Mab Kabao station to Nakhon Ratchasima’s Thanon Chira Junction station, on July 28 to undertake deep cleaning.
The decision was taken after videos of dust blowing into carriages were posted online. Images and a video posted by a foreign Facebook user showed strong wind blowing dust into the train and the post also mentioned a strong smell of diesel.
Ekkarat Sriarayanpong, chief of the SRT Governor’s Office, said that a test ride on August 8 found no dust from the tunnel construction but that exhaust fumes had not completely cleared.
The decision was therefore taken to delay the reopening from today (August 12) to September to allow enough time for the issues to be resolved.
He added that the 14 passenger trains on the Ubon Ratchathani line would use the original route of Map Kabao, Phasadet, Hin Lap and Muak Lek stations until the cleaning was completed
“SRT would like to apologise for the inconvenience,” he said, noting that SRT pays attention to passengers’ convenience and safety while using train services.
