BANGKOK, 7 September 2013 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.
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.