“Phiphat” revealed the factual investigation results of the crane falling on the train, finding fault and concrete evidence implicating “Italian-Thai” for failing to notify the radio to halt train movement as required by contract. The Ministry is preparing to propose to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board on 29 Jan to cancel the ITD contract. Regarding the incident on Rama 2 Road, no final conclusion has been made yet, but falling debris was found after work hours. Traffic at the construction site will be closed 100% for 60 days to dismantle the bridge and clear risk points.
On 23 Jan 2026, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, along with Mr. Chayatham Promsorn, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, and Mr. Jirapong Theppitak, Deputy Permanent Secretary and Chair of the investigation committee into the crane incidents of the Thailand-China high-speed rail project (contracts 3-4) where a crane fell on a train in Sikhio District, and the motorway project (Bang Khun Thian-Ban Phaeo) where a crane fell on Rama 2 Road, joined by Mr. Piyapong Jiwatkunpaisan, Director-General of the Department of Highways, Mr. Anan Phonimdaeng, Deputy Governor and Acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), and executives from the Ministry of Transport, held a press conference to announce the investigation results of both cases.
. Mr. Phiphat stated that following the incidents, the Prime Minister instructed that the matter be treated as urgent, with a directive to complete the factual investigation within seven days. Today marks the seventh day as ordered. Preliminary findings in the Sikhio case show that the object falling onto the train was the front base component of the crane, which lost balance during relocation. The key issue is that construction work occurred without closing traffic below where trains run, despite clear requirements that work must be done only when no trains operate. Furthermore, if work occurs, the railway station must be notified in advance, but no communication from the site to the station on the incident day was found. This failure to notify is the crucial point for considering contract termination.
Regarding penalties for the contractor, it was confirmed that according to the Prime Minister’s orders emphasizing accountability, since SRT is a state enterprise, contract cancellation authority rests with its board. SRT plans to submit the matter to the legal subcommittee and then to the SRT board meeting on 29 January for a formal decision to terminate the contract with Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD). “We now know where the mistake occurred. The contract clearly states you must notify the railway station in advance, but the site did not. This is the key issue for contract termination consideration,” said Mr. Phiphat.
Meanwhile, Mr. Anan Phonimdaeng, Deputy Governor and Acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), said that the factual investigation into the 14 January incident at the SRT construction site in Sikhio District found clear safety measure failures as specified in the contract. The contract between SRT and the contractor (Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited) clearly requires that when construction work is ongoing, if a train is scheduled to pass, the contractor must notify the railway station by radio at least one day and up to seven days in advance to temporarily suspend train movement until the site is cleared.
“Upon reviewing communication records, there was no evidence of any radio notification from the construction site to the station to stop trains, resulting in the train entering the construction area and causing a serious accident,” said Mr. Anan.
Mr. Piyapong Jiwatkunpaisan, Director-General of the Department of Highways (DOH), said regarding the accident on Rama 2 Road, consultations with the Ministry of Transport, DOH, and the Engineering Institute of Thailand under Royal Patronage (EIT) concluded that the main road at the construction site would be closed 100%. The damaged parts of the bridge will be dismantled to remove the remaining collapsed structure due to the launcher crane failure, while parallel routes will be opened for public use.
Additionally, the department is accelerating construction at a risk point on the Tha Chin River bridge, where many scaffolds connect to the riverbank pier. The EIT has analyzed that leaving these scaffolds for a long time is unsafe and risks collapse, so construction must be completed within 60 days. “Halting contractor work will delay the project’s opening, initially expected in April,” he added.
Mr. Piyapong continued that the DOH confirms the work stoppage is a disciplinary measure that reduces contractor working time with no right to request extension, as the fault lies with the contractor. If the work is not completed by May 2026 as per contract, the contractor will face maximum daily fines of about 4.7 million baht, calculated at 0.25% of the 1.8-billion-baht contract value.
However, if the contractor resumes work, the department has ordered compliance with conditions including: 1. Ensuring 100% safety at the construction site; 2. Inspecting all equipment and machinery and installing additional warning sensors; 3. Replacing the engineering and work teams with trusted personnel; 4. Having the EIT supervise the work continuously; 5. Providing ongoing public reports on work progress.
“The department is carefully preparing contract termination by setting up a three-party committee including DOH, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Comptroller General’s Department to review legal and contractual terms while awaiting final cause determination. If results clearly show breach of conditions and termination rights are explicit, action will proceed,” said Mr. Piyapong.
Mr. Chayatham Promsorn, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, revealed progress on punitive measures against construction contractors under the ministry. He acknowledged that the “contractor record book” system, including point deductions, downgrading, and blacklisting, is mainly under the Comptroller General’s Department of the Ministry of Finance. Relevant ministerial regulations and laws are now issued, with operational details pending to be urgently implemented effectively.
“The Ministry of Transport has not just begun safety efforts following recent events but has been advancing accident prevention during construction continuously for over three years, developing documents, procedures, and systematic safety oversight. However, a key limitation is that authority to downgrade or adjust contractor status must follow Comptroller General’s Department criteria,” Mr. Chayatham said.
Although awaiting central processes, the ministry will not wait for the record book measures to take effect, having established a monitoring committee led by the deputy permanent secretary to coordinate and track when these measures can be applied.
Meanwhile, the ministry is pursuing parallel measures by setting new penalties in construction contracts, especially for incidents causing severe accidents or fatalities. Previously, standard contracts from the Comptroller General’s Department focused on delays and construction quality penalties but lacked clear sanctions for such accidents.
Mr. Sumeth Surabot Sopon, Senior Executive Vice President of Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD), said the company is ready to cooperate fully with all investigation procedures and accept responsibility for the crane collapse incidents at both the Thailand-China high-speed rail project site in Sikhio and the motorway project (Bang Khun Thian-Ban Phaeo). ITD offers no excuses for these incidents.
“We affirm that the company has not been negligent and accepts full responsibility for all errors. Regarding compensation, we have expedited preliminary payments to the injured and families of the deceased without waiting for complicated paperwork. The company has allocated over one million baht per individual for compensation alongside insurance and railway payments.”
However, the company clarifies that equipment and machinery inspections have met engineering standards and load testing was regularly conducted. The accident may have resulted from individual procedural lapses or force majeure. The company is ready for investigation and accountability but requests public understanding that not all incidents occurred due to Italian-Thai’s work but during operations.
It is acknowledged that as both projects near completion, additional machinery was rented to meet deadlines, including cranes at Rama 2 and the high-speed rail site where the incidents occurred. The rented launcher cranes were inspected and approved by consultants and supervisors as meeting standards.
Mr. Sumeth also stated that ITD maintains strict safety measures with a central safety committee overseeing all sites. A special task force has been formed to consider increasing penalties for severely negligent employees. He emphasized that liquidity issues do not affect material quality or safety standards as speculated. The company continues to work according to standards without reducing work specifications.
Regarding rumors that the company would sue the government, he firmly denied this is true, attributing it to internal miscommunication. Italian-Thai is committed to full cooperation with the government and Ministry of Transport in fact-finding. Finally, the company asks society and relevant sectors for a chance to improve operations, pledging safety as the top priority and readiness to correct all deficiencies.
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