Has this reporter ever ridden on a train?

[the_maenad]

"The driver admitted that he dozed off because he took
medication for fever and allergies," said State Railway of
Thailand deputy governor Pakorn Tangjetsakao, who
headed a fact-finding panel that interviewed the driver,
several train employees and witnesses.

While asleep, the driver jumped a red light and awoke in
time to see he was headed straight for

Comments

[thekumquat]

I assume there were points there so trying to move onto another track was an option, but presumably he was going toofast for that.

[the_maenad]

There could have been a dozen sets of points, but the points are not under the train driver's control. A train driver can only go where the rails take them; they can slow down or speed up, but not steer.

[peteyoung]

Bad journo. This article from the Bangkok Post yesterday says "The train jumped a light at Wang Phong station and derailed at Khao Tao station in Hua Hin district in Prachuap Khiri Khan as it was shifted at high speed on to another track to avoid a collision with a parked freight train." Which makes far more sense. Remote controlled points-switching from the cab is technically possible, but I doubt very much if Thailand's antiquated railway system uses it.

Incidentally, Khao Tao is to the south of Hua Hin whereas my place is just to the north of the city, so the derailment was a few kilometres further from my house than I first thought.