The Yellow Line monorail will resume normal operations next month, after an incident in March prompted the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) to order safety inspections along the entire line, said MRTA acting governor Witthaya Phanmongkol on Monday.
The monorail is currently operating on a reduced timetable on a section of the line, after parts of the track’s conductor rail broke off in late March, damaging several vehicles on the road below.
The incident disrupted the rail’s electrical systems between Kalantan and Si Udom stations, forcing authorities to shut the line. It was reopened a day later, but the incident damaged one of the rails between Hua Mak and Si Iam stations, forcing trains to travel on a single track between the two stations.
As the parts required to repair the damaged track were not in stock, Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co Ltd (EBM) was forced to alter the service’s schedule to ensure the monorail could continue running despite the tracks’ limitation, he said.
EBM has now procured the required parts, so the repairs are expected to be done by the end of May, he said.
Mr Witthaya said the MRTA has ordered EBM to review its safety procedures and spare part reserves in the wake of the incident.
Trains depart every five minutes during rush hour, or every 10 minutes during off-peak hours, between Lat Phrao-Hua Mak and Si Iam-Samrong stations. However, trains depart every 25 minutes between Hua Mak and Si Iam stations as trains can only run on one part of the tracks.
To compensate the users, Mr Witthaya said that the EBM has lowered fares by 20% until normal operations resume. Ridership has gone down by 20% since the incident, from 40,000 passengers down to 32,268 per day, said Mr Witthaya.