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Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
National

Bangkok rail systems undergo tests after accidents

Motorists drive along Srinakarin Road near the Srinakarin-La Salle intersection in Bangkok’s Bang Na district, as an MRT Yellow Line monorail enters Si La Salle Station, which is built over the intersection. Photo by SOMCHAI POOMLARD

The operators of both the Yellow and Pink lines are currently testing redesigned wheel and rail systems to prevent more accidents.

The roll-out follows recent incidents in which a guide wheel fell from a running Yellow Line train, damaging vehicles below, while a long section of the Pink Line's conductor rail also fell, causing similar damage.

Following these incidents, the Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co (EBM) and Northern Bangkok Monorail Co (NBM), concessionaires of the Yellow and Pink Lines respectively, have been working together with Alstom, the French producer of the monorail guide wheel and conductor rail systems.

Alstom has tested the redesigned guide wheel system in-house and has now fitted it on one Yellow Line train and one Pink Line train for further testing, a process which requires about three months to finish.

EBM and NBM will then begin replacing all the guide wheels on their 42 Pink Line trains and 30 Yellow Line trains early next year.

Currently, the Yellow Line trains are using an unchanged guide wheel design after a safety inspection, and the frequency of inspections has been raised following the accidents.

Alstom has also redesigned the conductor rail system for both monorail lines, but it is still assessing the pros and cons of the new design.

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