The Yellow Line monorail system will have every guide wheel of all 30 trains inspected and have its maintenance intervals increased to ensure public safety, according to its chairman, Keeree Kanjanapas.
Alstom, the manufacturer of the trains, has joined the inspection of the 1,080 guide wheels. So far, more than 60% have been checked. New wheel bearings have also been supplied to replace the old ones.
Maintenance of the trains and their equipment will be increased as the company's first priority is public safety, said Mr Keeree.
The Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co, the Yellow Line operator, is required to thoroughly check the safety of each train before it is put back into service.
On Tuesday evening, a guide wheel fell off a train and hit a taxi on a road below.
An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the mishap, suspected to be due to defective ball bearings.
The whole inspection is expected to be completed by Monday, with 21 trains ready for service as usual. The rest of the trains are for reserve purposes.
Mr Keeree noted that a similar inspection will be conducted on the Pink Line monorail system, which also encountered a mishap on Dec 24.
At the time, an aluminium conductor rail fell off a beam, damaging several parked cars along Tiwanon Road in Nonthaburi.
Both guide wheel and beam incidents prompted safety concerns among the public, and the Transport Ministry released a warning against operators, saying concessionaires will be blacklisted if more incidents happen.
Mr Keeree said the warning reflects the authority's concern for public safety, and the operators of public transport systems should prioritise this.
When asked if the incidents would cause a dip in revenue, he said they are unlikely to affect the number of passengers or income received, but they might undermine the company's reputation.
The Yellow Line operator posted on Facebook yesterday that trains running from 6am to midnight are free of charge. The service runs every eight minutes during rush hour and every 10 minutes at other times. The trains run from Lat Phrao station to Samrong Station, covering a 30.4km route.
