The Yellow Line elevated monorail built to serve the Lat Phrao-Samrong route will begin a month-long trial run, with free rides for commuters, on June 3, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas said on Wednesday.
He said this was agreed on at a meeting of representatives of the Department of Rail Transport and the concessionaire, Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM), on Tuesday.
A final inspection to ensure readiness of the system, the train stations and staff will be made on Thursday.
On Friday, the first trial run will be for news media.
On Saturday, the public will be offered free rides from selected stations from 9am-noon and 1pm-5pm. If all goes well, the operating time during the trial will be extended to midnight.
The trial will then continue until the end of June.
Mr Pakapong said EBM must comply with advice from an independent certified engineer for the security system to meet international standards before the line can begin full operations.
The Yellow Line extends for 30.4 kilometres, between Lat Phrao and Samrong, with 23 stations.
Fares were initially set at 14 baht to 42 baht when the concession contract was signed in 2016. They will be adjusted, based on the consumer price index for the previous three months, before the service begins full operations.
