Samut Prakan—
On January 4th, 2024, Mr. Keeree Kanjanapas, the chairman of Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM) Co Ltd., performed an inspection on the Yellow Line electric train maintenance depot and made a speech to gain the trust and confidence of passengers.
Keeree firstly apologized for the Yellow Line electric train incident where a dislodged wheel hit a taxi on Theparak Road, Samut Prakan. After 30 years of providing BTS services, safety is a priority, followed closely by comfort, remarked Keeree.
The teams were investigating the exact cause of the incident as a similar one had occurred in China once. It was reported that the manufacturing process or structure that potentially caused the incident, said Keeree.
The manufacturing company had already sent back the broken guide wheel and ordered a new set of equipment right after the incident. More than 60% of 1,080 guide wheels and main wheels had been inspected, as of press time, said Keeree.
However, it could not be said that future incidents may not occur, but in his opinion, it would likely not happen again, concluded Keeree.
At present, EBM has more than 30 Yellow Line electric trains in use and 21 of them are already in service. Every train will be inspected even though they are recently open to the public. After the incident, the Yellow Line services are available as usual but the frequency will be every 30 to 55 minutes instead of their normal schedule.