Suriya threatens penalties after incident on MRT train
Transport minister warns Pink Line concessionaire after train door opens improperly, risking passenger safety
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Juangroongruangkit has announced that after an incident where part of a door of the Pink Line MRT train opened at Lat Phrao Station last Friday morning, he is taking the situation very seriously as it posed a safety risk to passengers.
He has instructed the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) to implement the highest level of penalties against Northern Bangkok Monorail Co Ltd (NBM), the concessionaire, as stipulated in the contract.
Suriya emphasised that in the past year, there have been multiple accidents on the MRT Pink and Yellow Lines operated by BTS Group Holdings PCL (BTS). The MRTA has been directed to contact the concessionaire detailing the penalties to be imposed.
If there is no urgent improvement in accordance with the contract, the performance will be recorded, scores deducted, and the company barred from participating in future tenders with the Ministry of Transport.
Additionally, their contractor ranking may be downgraded to ensure public confidence and reinforce maximum safety measures.
Wittaya Phanmongkol, deputy governor (operations) and acting governor of the MRTA, said: "The MRTA has not overlooked this issue and has instructed the concessionaire to review their operational procedures to ensure maximum passenger safety and to avoid any actions that could endanger passengers.
"The MRTA reserves the right to enforce penalties strictly as per the contract to prevent such incidents in the future and to restore public confidence in the service," he added.
The incident occurred at 7.01am on Thursday, July 4. when train No 10 was moving from Lat Phrao Station towards Nonthaburi Government Centre Station.
The train staff heard an unusual noise, similar to something striking the train multiple times. They pressed the emergency stop button and reported the incident to the Central Control Room (CCR).
An inspection revealed that a passenger's bag was caught in the door of the last carriage, which was still within the platform area.
The CCR then instructed the train staff to use the train's key to open the door where the bag was caught. However, the door could not be opened with the key. The CCR then ordered the staff to deactivate the automatic train control system.
The staff took manual control of the train, but because of a communication misunderstanding with the CCR, they opened the platform-side door where the bag was stuck, which compromised passenger safety.
