The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport updated on preliminary discussions concerning the crane collapse during high-speed rail construction that fell onto a train and another crane on Rama 2 Road. Minister Pipat emphasized that the investigation is based strictly on facts and announced a briefing on the accident investigation results scheduled for Friday, 23 January at 9:00 a.m. A thorough investigation will continue over the next 45 days to clarify all doubts and identify those responsible. Two preventive measures are being considered to avoid recurrence during construction: full road closures during construction and adding conditions in the TOR allowing contract termination if severe accidents occur.
On 20 January 2026 at the Ministry of Transport Mr. Jirapong Theppitak, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, in his capacity as chairman of the fact-finding committee, revealed after the second meeting of the committee investigating the crane collapse onto a train in Sikhio district and the crane collapse on Rama 2 Road that another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 22 January 2026. This will precede finalizing the investigation details and reporting to relevant authorities. Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Transport, stated that the committee, composed of engineering experts and related agencies, conducted field visits to gather evidence and factual data from the actual sites to carefully analyze the true causes of the incidents.
The investigation process is clearly divided into two phases. The first phase, directed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, will take no longer than 7 days to conclude initial engineering causes and officially communicate findings to the public. Minister Pipat, also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, will announce these preliminary findings on Friday, 23 January at 9:00 a.m. The second phase will involve an in-depth investigation lasting about 45 days to collect further data, interview all involved parties, and produce a detailed report to determine clear responsibility and provide evidence for contractual or legal actions.
He emphasized that the committee's work strictly adheres to verifiable facts to avoid speculation or premature conclusions. Particularly during the first 7 days, no determination will be made regarding who is responsible; instead, the focus will be on explaining the engineering mechanisms leading to the accidents to ensure the public receives accurate and clear information. Based on preliminary data collection, the committee has almost completed gathering evidence from the sites, allowing them to form 2-3 preliminary hypotheses on possible causes for each location. The committee will share only information supported by concrete evidence. Mr. Jirapong said.
Additionally, the meeting addressed concerns about equipment quality, especially crane steel components. Experts from the Engineering Institute of Thailand under Royal Patronage (EIT) have conducted tests, initially finding no issues with the crane's load-bearing capacity. However, the committee is awaiting official documentation before finalizing conclusions on this matter.
Meanwhile, at the Rama 2 Road construction site, the EIT engineering team observed that some structural foundations might be placed on thin slabs not designed to directly support heavy loads, warranting further in-depth analysis.
Mr. Jirapong added that the meeting also proposed preventive measures for future incidents, such as 100% traffic closures on routes with overhead construction and adding conditions to construction project bidding documents (TOR). These would stipulate that in the event of a severe accident causing fatalities during construction, the contract owner could terminate the agreement.
Read more news " Government Policy " here