PUBLISHED: 13 Oct 2024 at 06:02
The operators of the Yellow and Pink monorail lines are implementing testing of new guide wheel and conductor rail systems to avert future malfunctions.
This initiative comes in response to recent incidents where a guide wheel detached from a moving Yellow Line train, resulting in damage to vehicles below, alongside a similar incident involving the Pink Line’s conductor rail.
The Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co and Northern Bangkok Monorail Co, the concessionaires for these lines, are collaborating with industry experts to enhance the reliability of the monorail systems.
Surapong Laoha-Unya, executive director of BTS Group Holdings Plc, stated their commitment to eradicating such occurrences during a media briefing on Saturday.
Alstom has conducted in-house testing of the redesigned guide wheel, which has been fitted onto one train from each line for a rigorous evaluation that is expected to last approximately three months.
Following this testing phase, the plan is to commence replacing all guide wheels on the fleet of 42 Pink Line and 30 Yellow Line trains early next year. Current inspections of Yellow Line trains will maintain existing guide wheel designs, bolstered by increased inspection frequencies post-accident.
Additionally, Alstom is assessing a new conductor rail design but is still determining its advantages and disadvantages.
In an effort to mitigate risks, both EBM and NBM have proposed segmenting the conductor rail into shorter sections, currently spanning 5-6 kilometers, to reduce potential damage in case of future incidents.
