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"Trains have been the main transportation means for the locals. This also exacerbates problems for industries here that are transporting their products out of the provinces by rail, as it provides the cheapest cost," he said.

The Hat Yai-Sungai Kolok route was suspended on Sunday after four employees of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) were killed on duty.

Somboon said students suffered the most in the suspension of train services. Students must pay more to take the bus to schools in Hat Yai and Songkhla town. Some were stranded yesterday, because only a few buses were running.

He urged the government to pay close attention to the incident, as a "third party" could use this to convince locals they have been ignored by the central government.

Thanongsak Pongprasert, director of the SRT's southern office, said it remained unclear when normal train services would resume.

"We're not ready for service, and there's no scheduled resumption of services pending measures from national-security agencies to restore the confidence of

hundreds of officials working on this route," he said.