Thai PM Secures 1.7M Baht for Train Crash Victims, Blacklists Contractor

In the hours after a construction crane collapsed onto Express Train No. 21 near Sikhio, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prime Minister Anutin Chanvirakul cut through protocol. Mourning families, stalled services and a simmering debate over contractor conduct would all come under his scrutiny.

At a Glance

• 30 lives lost and 66 injured when a crane fell onto the Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani express at km 220+9 on Jan 14, igniting carriages and derailing rail traffic.

• Government’s initial offer of ฿40,000 for funeral costs plus ฿40,000 in relief sparked public outrage.

• Anutin demands seven-digit payouts per victim, invoking the Victim Compensation Act and SRT internal rules to secure around ฿1.69 M for each bereaved family.

• Italian-Thai Development (ITD) faces possible blacklisting under the new สมุดพกผู้รับเหมา system and criminal charges if negligence is proven.

• Bangkok–Ubon services are rerouted via Kaeng Khoi–Bua Yai until repair work wraps up, affecting both passengers and freight operators.

On-Site Confrontation: A PM’s Promise

As dusk settled over the twisted rails in Sikhio, Anutin approached relatives of those killed instead of greeting officials. His message was clear: this tragedy demands accountability and compensation in the millions, not tens of thousands. Inspecting charred wreckage and fallen beams, he ordered the Transport Ministry to convene an SRT board meeting within 48 hours. “Anything below ฿1 M per life is unacceptable,” he declared, tying his stance to both public expectation and legal precedent.

Beyond Baht 80,000: Redesigning Relief Packages

Under SRT’s Regulations 3.2/2559 and 3.3/2560 plus the Victim Compensation Act of 2001, families are entitled to a ฿200,000 base indemnity. On top of that, SRT has pledged ฿340,000, with contractors and insurers covering roughly ฿1.15 M, aiming for a total close to ฿1.69 M per fatality. Initial disbursements will include ฿80,000 for funeral services from SRT and ฿150,000 from ITD, with the remainder processed once formal investigations conclude.

Contractors in the Dock: ITD’s Track Record

Italian-Thai Development has been implicated in multiple fatal incidents—from Rama 2 overpasses to the Red Line project—resulting in over 120 deaths since 2016, according to press archives. Critics say repeated claims of “operator error” or “equipment failure” never led to meaningful sanctions. Now, under the revised สมุดพกผู้รับเหมา ministerial regulation (2019), severe negligence causing loss of life triggers immediate suspension from public tenders for at least 2 years, with potential blacklisting of up to 10 years under the Procurement Act of 2017.

Legislative Overhaul: From Notebooks to Rail Acts

The government’s new contractor dossier, colloquially dubbed the สมุดพก, introduces:

• Instant de-registration for documented fraud or deadly mistakes.

• Tiered downgrades limiting access to major projects.

• Blacklisting authority vested in the Finance Ministry to bar repeat offenders.

Meanwhile, the Rail Transport Act 2025 lays the groundwork for a semi-autonomous accident investigation board—modelled on the U.S. NTSB—to probe systemic failures rather than assign blame solely to front-line operators.

Disrupted Journeys and Economic Ripples

With the mainline closed until debris removal and track replacements finish—projected to take two weeks—passengers on the Bangkok–Ubon route face rerouting through Kaeng Khoi–Bua Yai, adding 90 minutes to trips. Freight delays at Nakhon Ratchasima junction are costing logistics firms an estimated ฿25 M/day in extra fuel and overtime, compounding post-flood supply chain strains.

Next Steps: Courts, Compensation, and Culture Shift

Police are collecting forensic evidence at the crash site to determine whether lifting operations flagrantly violated the safety clause that demands all crane work cease when trains approach. Should prosecutors establish criminal negligence under the Rail Transport Act, both on-site supervisors and corporate officers could face prison. For Thai households still grappling with grief, the immediate focus is clear: securing the multi-million-baht settlements their prime minister has vowed—and ensuring this level of accountability becomes the new standard for every rail and construction project nationwide.