Another Twist in the Case: Police Review CCTV Footage, Don't See Train Driver in Control Room Before Bus Collision

In another startling development, police are investigating CCTV footage that fails to show the train driver in the control room before the collision with an air-conditioned bus. Mechanics have been called in for questioning. The incident involves freight train No. 2126 (Laem Chabang-Bang Sue) that crashed into Route 206 bus at the Makkasan railway crossing beneath the Airport Rail Link station on Asoke-Din Daeng Road, causing a severe fire that killed 8 people immediately and injured over 30 others on the afternoon of May 16. In an update on May 18, 2025, authorities released images of 46-year-old Syamphon, the train driver involved in the collision with the bus. Upon custody, it was found that he was not wearing the proper uniform required by Thai Railways regulations. Instead, Syamphon was wearing a t-shirt, long pants, and leather shoes with long hair. Notably, after Syamphon turned himself in to investigators at Makkasan Police Station, he had cut his hair short. Regarding the CCTV investigation, some cameras captured footage while the train was moving. Some CCTV cameras had the ability to capture images from the driver's cabin area before the incident occurred. However, the shocking discovery is that Syamphon was not found sitting in the driver's seat on these recordings. Police are conducting a detailed investigation and have called in mechanics and assistant train drivers—fellow crew members who were on the same train as Syamphon—for questioning this afternoon (May 18).