After 129 years of battling small-time crime, smuggling, and even drug trafficking on trains, Thailand’s railway police reported for duty for the final time on Monday.
On Tuesday, October 17, the Railway Police Division (RPD) will be dissolved and incorporated into other National Police Bureau organizations.
Under the name Railway Security Unit, railway police were first founded in 1894, under the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Ram V). They were then reorganized, given the designation Railway Police Unit, and eventually promoted to the status of Railway Police Division. There are railroad police stations all around the nation.
The primary responsibilities of the RPD include managing inquiries pertaining to the railroad and preventing criminal behavior on the railroad.
Over 450 railway stations, 4,000 kilometers of track, and 5,000 railroad crossings are all under its purview. Each year, it is responsible for ensuring the safety of more than 30 million passengers.

Including freight trains, the RPD employs about 600 people who are dispersed across 15 railway police stations and 40 railway stations, covering more than 240 passenger trains.
At least two railway police officers are normally present in each train, and their job is to ensure the safety of the passengers at all times.
The Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police has control over the railroad police.
The final commander of the RPD, Pol Maj-General Chairop Junnawat, stated that his division is the primary organization in charge of guaranteeing the safety of nearly all aspects of Thailand’s railway system.
The RPD has made a significant number of arrests of tax evaders and drug traffickers who use trains to move their illegal commodities throughout the years.
The State Railway of Thailand will be in charge of maintaining train safety starting on Tuesday. According to rumors, the SRT may substitute safety employees for railway police on passenger trains.
In accordance with the National Police Act of 2022, the RPD is being disbanded.