YALA, THAILAND – An aggressive cat was blamed on social media for a train stoppage in southern Thailand, but passengers pointed instead to consecutive locomotive failures for a delay of about seven hours.
Seven hours late in Yala
The Rapid Train No. 169 on the route from Bangkok Aphiwat to Yala reached Yala station on Monday at 6.15 p.m.
According to the official display, the service ran 430 minutes behind schedule.
Facebook post turns cat into scapegoat
A Facebook post by Kijja Pongpisan, picked up by local media on 14 April, described an incident involving a cat on board.
According to this account, the train stopped en route after the animal became restless, bit its owner hard enough to draw blood, and then scratched other passengers.
Three railway staff reportedly needed around 20 minutes to restrain the cat using a bedsheet.
Only after that intervention was the journey able to continue.
Heat in sleeper car seen as possible trigger
The animal was described as an orange male cat travelling with its owner in a non air conditioned sleeper car.
Heat was cited as the most likely reason for the animal’s behaviour.
Passengers dispute cat drama, cite engine troubles
Several passengers challenged the claim online that the cat had caused the hours-long delay.
One commenter wrote that travellers had twice been forced to wait because of two consecutive locomotive failures, and that the replacement engine had also experienced problems.
Another comment said the train first stopped at Na Phak Kwuang station in Prachuap Khiri Khan to wait for a replacement locomotive.
It then reportedly halted again at Khao Chaiyarat station in Chumphon, with the two stations located about 50 kilometres apart.
SRT confirms delay but gives no specific cause
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) confirmed via its official tracker that Train No. 169 arrived 430 minutes late, without publicly stating the cause.
In general, SRT noted that delays can result from construction works, engine failures, signal clearances to free the line, or passenger-related incidents.