Regular services along the Yellow Line monorail system will resume sometime late next month instead of June 10 as previously announced, as its operator is still waiting for some parts needed to repair damaged tracks, the Department of Rail Transport said on Wednesday.
Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co, the operator of the line, is currently in the process of reinstalling the conductor rail along the damaged track between Kalantan and Suan Luang Rama IX stations, said department chief Pichet Kunadhamraks.
However, some key parts needed to complete the installation have yet to arrive, he said, adding that the manufacturer said the parts should arrive “in early June”.
Once the parts arrive and the conductor rail is reattached, the department, along with the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) will carry out an inspection to ensure the repairs were done in a satisfactory manner and both tracks are ready to support normal operations, he said.
As such, Mr Pichet said normal operations along the Yellow Line should resume sometime “in late June”.
A part of the monorail’s conductor rail came off the tracks between the Kalantan and Suan Luang Rama IX stations on March 28. The incident disrupted electrical systems between the Kalantan and Si Udom stations, forcing authorities to briefly shut the line.
It reopened a day later, but the incident was found to have damaged one of the rails between Hua Mak and Si Iam stations. Since then, only a single track can be used to travel between the two stations, severely limiting service frequency.
Parts that broke off the conductor rail on March 28 have also been sent to Singapore for a closer inspection to confirm the cause of the incident, said Mr Pichet.
Between April 1 and May 27, the department said it recorded 17 malfunctions on Bangkok’s electric rail systems, eight of which were associated with electrical issues while the rest were related to the trains, said Mr Pichet.
Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co and the Pink Line operator Northern Bangkok Monorail Co are both subsidiaries of BSR JV Consortium, a joint venture between three giant SET-listed companies: BTS Group Holdings, with a 75% shareholding; Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, and Ratch Group, a major power producer.