BANGKOK: -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will increase the number of trains scheduled to accommodate many more passengers than usual during the Songkran holiday, even as road checkpoints will be set up across the country to prevent highway accidents caused by drunken driving.

Suchatvee Suwansawat, spokesman of the SRT committee, said that the national railways will offer an additional 24 inbound and outbound trains to serve passengers, expected to increase by 5,000 people per day during the long Thai New Year holiday April 11-17.

It estimated that overall there will be about 115,000 passengers per day.

Meanwhile, the SRT has already finished refurbishing all the carriages on 10 passenger trains after some passengers reported an infestation of bedbugs last month. The railway cars were sprayed with insect eradication chemicals and high-powered hot water spray to eliminate the pests.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said in his capacity as chairman of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation Committee that the group has worked with both the government and the private sector to reduce highway accidents during the Songkran holiday by initiating a campaign against driving under the influence of alcohol.

Anucha Mokkhaves, the director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said that the road safety centre will operate roadblocks all over the country and to check for intoxicated drivers, particularly young people.

--TNA 2008-04-09