The MRT Blue Line removed 14 seats from one of its service trains on Monday to accommodate more people, sparking mixed reactions from passengers and observers on social media.
The Blue Line is overseen by Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM) under a 25-year concession from the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which allows it to operate the route, as well as the MRT Purple Line.
The Bangkok Post conducted an informal survey of passengers on a Blue Line commuter train shortly after the BEM posted a message online saying it had ripped out the seats.
The message quickly went viral.
MRTA acting governor Rithika Suparat denied the authority's involvement in the decision, saying it was made by the BEM.
The BEM uses 19 carriages to service the route, with plans to procure 16 more by 2019.
The train in question had 14 seats removed from its middle carriage, with seven seats taken out from each side.
Witthaya Luanghirun, a 33-year-old private company employee, said he saw the hollowed-out part of the carriage for the first time Monday evening.
He said the BEM's move could help improve the mass congestion frequently reported by regular users of the line.
"By doing this, the BEM would actually be able to feed more passengers to its Purple Line, and vice versa," he said.
"While there are more benefits than drawbacks, it could have informed passengers one or two days in advance."
Mr Witthaya said removing the seats would benefit passengers overall, especially in packed stations such as Sukhumvit, Rama IX and Phetchaburi.
"Seats allotted for the disabled and elderly are still available after the changes," he said.
"From my experience, very few disabled individuals actually use or have access to the trains."
Facebook user Som Prachyawan disagreed with the BEM's move to remove the seats, saying extra carriages would be preferable.
"What an inconsiderate idea. Instead of adding more carriages during rush hours, they [the firm's management] have shifted the burden onto the passengers by making them stand," she said.
Siwat Summa, another observer, said the BEM removed the seats to "benefit themselves".
"How does this really solve the mass congestion problem during rush hour if the frequency of trains is still the same?" he asked.
"They should admit they are just doing it for their personal gain."