Driver in fatal train-bus crash admits meth, cannabis use

The driver of the train that crashed into a bus, killing eight people in Bangkok over the weekend, has told police he regularly uses methamphetamine pills and cannabis.

However he claimed he last used the drugs about 10 days before the fatal accident, said Pol Maj Gen Worasak Pisitbannakorn, a metropolitan police commander today.

Investigators also discovered that the driver, identified as “Sayomporn”, had faced drug-related charges in 2019 in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

Pol Maj Gen Worasak said police are not convinced by the driver’s claims and are continuing to verify the information.

Worasak was speaking after attending a meeting with investigators working on the tragic train-bus collision on May 16 in Bangkok’s Makkasan district, in which eight bus passengers died in the fire that erupted upon impact.

As of today, only two victims have been formally identified, as the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

The train driver and a railway crossing signal operator, identified as “Uthen”, have been charged with reckless driving and negligence causing death, serious injury and property damage.

Both were taken to the Criminal Court for a remand hearing today.

Worasak added that a special investigative task force had been established to clearly divide responsibilities and accelerate the collection of evidence related to all aspects of the case.

Investigators said the two railway employees gave conflicting statements during questioning.

The signal operator insisted that he had followed proper procedures and activated the warning signals correctly, while the train driver claimed he did not see the signals.

Police described the conflicting testimony as part of the suspects’ legal defence.

Police have ordered inspections of every railway crossing along the route travelled by the train involved in the crash, including checks on train speeds at crossings and whether warning systems were functioning properly and clearly visible.

Investigators have also sent a request to the State Railway of Thailand seeking permission to reconstruct the accident and determine the driver’s line of sight at the scene.

Experts will also analyse data from the train’s event recorder, or “black box”, as well as review operational regulations and railway safety standards.

Worasak added that preliminary findings indicate that no train drivers in Thailand currently hold official licences issued by the Department of Rail Transport, similar to those required in other transport systems.

Investigators are now examining the standards and criteria used by the State Railway of Thailand to authorise employees to operate trains.