Deep dive into causes after Yellow Line monorail incident

Meanwhile, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) and Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM) have been instructed to inspect the Yellow Line monorail thoroughly.

A wheel fell off a Yellow Line train and hit a taxi on Thepharak Road in Samut Prakan province at around 6:30pm on Tuesday. No casualties were reported.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said during a Wednesday press conference that he has instructed EBM, which operates the Yellow Line monorail line, to compensate people affected by the incident.

MRTA and EBM have been ordered to accelerate their inspection and seek guidelines to prevent a repeat of the incident and to boost confidence among passengers and passers-by.

Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote, said the MRTA and EBM had cooperated on the inspection along with France-based Alstom, a monorail manufacturer, and found that the incident originated from a defect.

“The monorail has been taken to the laboratory for an in-depth inspection, which could take a while before reaching a conclusion,” he said.

He added that the wheel had been used for only 62,000 kilometres compared to its expected service life of 300,000 kilometres.

Although EBM has carried out maintenance according to the steps specified in the manual, the Transport Ministry has ordered the concessionaire to increase maintenance frequencies, Surapong said.

In addition, MRTA, EBM and Alstom had conducted thorough monorail car inspections prior to their launch in order to prevent repeated incidents.

Surapong said additional vehicles will be gradually added to the Yellow Line, increasing beyond the current five. Yellow Line will offer free train rides until Friday, he added.

“The Transport Ministry is committed to the promotion of public trains as convenient and safe travel alternatives for the public, as well as to respond to air pollution, especially PM2.5,” he added.