Thailand considers mandatory rail travel insurance after Nakhon Ratchasima crash

Thailand’s caretaker Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has said the Ministry is exploring the possibility of bundling travel insurance into train ticket fares, ensuring passengers have clear entitlement to compensation in the event of an accident.

He added that he had also ordered officials to consider issuing a new directive requiring rail operators to purchase mandatory passenger insurance. The measure is expected to take effect in time for travel during the Songkran festival in April.

The move follows a fatal accident in Nakhon Ratchasima on 14 January, when metal rails forming the base of a launcher crane fell onto a passenger express train travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani. Phiphat said that 161 people had been involved in the incident, with 30 people killed and 69 injured. Of those killed, 29 were passengers and one was a worker. Among the injured, 54 have been discharged, while 15 remain in hospital, according to Thai news outlet The Nation.

The families of the deceased received compensation totalling Bt1.49 million per person at a ceremony on Tuesday, while all injured victims are under royal patronage with full medical coverage under an insurance policy exceeding Bt583 million.

Thailand has recorded its first annual fall in foreign tourism arrivals in more than a decade outside of the pandemic years, following a turbulent 12 months marked by security concerns and natural disasters.