Bangkok commuters should experience an improved service on the BTS sky train system after BTS Group Holdings Plc, the operator of the system, recently put into service an additional 27 trains, bringing the total number to 79.
BTS managing director Mr. Surapong Laoha-anya said that the company has taken delivery of 27 trains out of a total of 46 it has ordered from the supplier.
He added that all the new trains will have been delivered by the end of next year, bringing the total number available for operations to 98, from its original fleet of 35 in 1999.
Three batches of new trains have been ordered since 2005, with 12 trains in the first batch, five more in 2011 and the final batch of 46 trains ordered three years ago, of which 27 of them have been delivered.
Mr. Surapong said that the company has increased the number of carriages on each train from three to four to accommodate more passengers as the service has become more popular, especially during the rush hours.
He noted that the increased number of trains will make it possible to increase the frequency of trains during the rush hours.
At present, the time between trains in rush hours on the Sukhumvit Line from Lat Phrao to Samrong is 2.40 minutes and 3.45 minutes on the Silom Line.
He admitted that there is a restriction on the Silom Line due to the bottleneck at Taksin station, where trains are required to share a single section of track.
However, he said the company is in the process of getting permission from the Rural Highway Department and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to expand the section to dual tracks.
