Bangkok Train Driver Tests Positive for Drugs; Two Railway Staff Face Charges

by Zulfick Farzan 18-05-2026 | 10:38 AM

COLOMBO (News 1st); A train driver involved in a deadly collision with a bus in Bangkok has tested positive for an illicit substance, police confirmed, as investigations into the crash that killed eight people and injured 32 others continue.

Preliminary drug test results on the driver, identified as Sayomporn, returned positive, according to the chief of the Makkasan Police Station. Officials stated that formal medical test results are expected to be submitted to investigators on Monday morning.

Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the driver has been preliminarily charged with reckless driving causing death and serious injury.

Authorities are also examining the events leading up to the collision. CCTV footage revealed that a railway official waved a red warning flag only briefly, approximately two minutes before the train struck the bus.

On Sunday, police detained a railway operations official responsible for the crossing barriers. After a two-hour interrogation, he was charged with reckless acts causing death, severe injury, and bodily harm. Drug tests conducted on him returned negative.

Further details emerged from the Department of Rail Transport. Director-General Pichet Kunadhamraks said data retrieved from the locomotive’s black box showed the train was traveling at 35 kilometers per hour (21.7 mph) at the moment of impact.

The data also indicated that the driver activated the emergency brakes about 100 meters before the collision but was unable to stop the heavy train in time. Officials noted that halting such a train generally requires a distance of nearly two kilometers.

Pichet confirmed that the signaling system was functioning normally at the time, though the crossing barrier could not be lowered.

In response to the incident, the Department of Rail Transport has suspended the train driver’s license pending the outcome of the investigation. Meanwhile, the bus driver remains hospitalized with severe injuries and has been unable to provide a statement to authorities.