Thailand: railway crossings should be made safer

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has been urged to speed up the installation of barriers and warning signal systems at more than 1,300 crossings nationwide for safety reasons. Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said accidents at crossings involving trains and vehicles are too common. The situation is made worse by illegal crossings created without SRT’s permission. Transport Minister Prajin Juntong also instructed SRT to divert budgets set aside for low-priority issues to fund the barrier installation project instead. SRT expects to complete the installation of barriers and warning signal systems by the end of next year. By the end of 2016, all the crossings will be equipped with barrier systems.