More bus and train services arranged on Loy Krathong day: Suriya
Transport minister says arrangements also made for tighter security
The number of bus and train trips will be increased on Friday to cope with the rush of people travelling to celebrate the Loy Krathong festival, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Wednesday.
Suriya said a lot of Thai and foreign tourists were expected to travel in Bangkok and the provinces to Loy Krathong celebration sites on Friday night, therefore he had instructed all agencies of his ministry to make sure that people could travel safely and conveniently by buses, trains, boats and airlines.
He said the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) would arrange 2,638 buses to provide 15,440 trips on Friday.
The bus routes to Loy Krathong venues will run for extended hours, with the last trip starting at midnight, Suriya added.
The State Railway of Thailand would increase the number of carriages on all train routes to full capacity to cope with the rush on Friday, he said.
SRT officials and security officials would step up security checks on trains and around the stations on Friday, he said, adding the officials should ensure that CCTVs at all railway stations were in working condition on Loy Krathong day.
To ensure air travel safety on Loy Krathong night, Suriya said the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, the Airport Department, Airports of Thailand Plc, and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd had been told to launch PR campaigns, warning against the release of floating lanterns near airports around the country.
The four agencies would also warn people not to light fireworks, release lanterns or fly drones in safe zones around airports nationwide, as such activities could disrupt flights, Suriya said.
He added that the average number of flights this month rose to 2,450 a day, a 36% increase since Loy Krathong last year, so the Transport Ministry would have to step up security for flights as well.
The Airport Department and other agencies concerned would deploy officials to frequently patrol safe zones around the airports on Friday to step up security, he said.
