SRT puts on extra trains for revellers
POLICE VANS TO PROVIDE SKYTRAIN LINK
>> The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will provide additional train trips to accommodate Songkran revellers who are expected to return to Bangkok in large numbers today.
Four more train trips will be organised for those travelling from the North and the Northeast to the capital. They concern the Si Sa Ket-Bangkok trip (4.30pm-3.20am), Chiang Mai’s Sila At-Bangkok (7.30pm-4.45am), Ubon Ratchathani-Bangkok (7.45pm-7.15am) and Udon Thani-Bangkok (8.40pm to 8.30am).
Train passengers can contact the SRT’s Hotline 1690 around the clock to check about train trip information. On Friday, 101,220 passengers used train services across the country and about 40,000 of them were Bangkok-bound commuters.
Meanwhile, Transport Co is also being prepared to cope with a huge number of passengers heading back to Bangkok from today. Rapipan Wannapintu, vice-president of the company, said 162,111 people who have reserved bus seats will return to the capital by scheduled buses today and the firm has arranged 7,184 bus trips for them. She said 181,547 commuters will use buses heading to Bangkok tomorrow and 8,083 bus trips are allotted to serve them.
Meanwhile, police will arrange free transport from Bangkok Bus Terminal in Chatuchak to the BTS Skytrain stations of Mo Chit and Victory Monument from today until Tuesday. Deputy police spokesman Kritsana Pattanacharoen said the transport service is being provided as a large number of people are expected to return to Bangkok and they may find it difficult to get taxis at the bus terminal.
More than 20 police vans will be deployed for the service, which concerns the morning period between 4am and 9am and the evening period from 4pm to 8pm. Pol Col Kritsana said passengers can board the vans in front of the bus terminal.
Meanwhile, officers are working to ensure safety in various places set aside for water-splashing zones in the capital. Pol Maj Gen Phanurat Lakbun, deputy chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), said 752 police and city law enforcement officers were deployed to ensure security in Silom yesterday.
On Friday, police received no reports of theft in Silom, he noted. Throughout Bangkok, four cases in relation to physical harm were reported, and 31 cases linked to valuables-related offences from Wednesday to yesterday, dropping from 11 cases of the former and 61 cases of the latter recorded during the same period last year, according to Pol Maj Gen Phanurat.
Meanwhile, officers had seized 2,991 vehicles in relation to drink-driving cases between Wednesday and Friday. Of them, 1,871 were motorcycles. National Council for Peace and Order deputy spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong said a total 113,960 people had been arrested.
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) yesterday reported 68 people had been arrested for violating the Alcohol Control Act between Tuesday and Friday. DDC director-general Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai said 28 of them were caught selling booze during the forbidden time and 21 drinking in vehicles.