Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit ordered the suspension of the operations of the Pink Line train today and tomorrow for safety reasons, pending an investigation into the collapse of the conductor rail onto the Tiwanon Road in Nonthaburi province this morning.
Services will partially resume on Monday, but only stopping at 23 of the line’s 30 stations, from the Chaeng Wattana station to the Min Buri station. The service to remaining stations, from Nonthaburi Civic Centre to Pak Kret bypass stations, will remain suspended.
Suriya said that service to those seven stations will be resumed after a thorough safety inspection. He also warned that, if a similar accident occurs again, legal action will be taken against the concessionaire of the train line, Northern Bangkok Monorail.
He said that initial findings show that the conductor rail might have been accidentally moved from the supporting beam by a crane, as it was clearing obstacles to enable the road, partially closed during construction, to reopen for traffic.
The transport minister inspected the site where collapse occurred and then held a meeting with the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, the Department of Rail and the Northern Bangkok Monorail Company.
The Pink Line monorail train service, from the Nonthaburi Civic Centre station to the Pak Kret bypass station, has been suspended since 5am this morning after a 5-km long conductor rail fell onto the road below.
No one was killed or injured, but three cars parked under the elevated track were damaged. Tiwanon Road has been temporarily closed to traffic, to allow workers to repair the rail.
The Pink Line, with 30 stations and a length of 34.5km, was opened for a free trial run between November 21st and December 17th. Fares have been collected since December 18th.
Northern Bangkok Monorail, the concessionaire of Pink Line train, issued a statement saying that the rail carrying the trains did not collapse, only the aluminum conductor rail. The conductor rail is about 4m wide and 5cm thick and runs the length of the track, supplying electrical power to the locomotives. The company also said that the repairs will completed as quickly as possible.
Service from Chaeng Wattana station to Min Buri station has not been affected. Passengers who want to travel between the Chaeng Wattana and Min Buri stations are advised to board the train at the National Telecom station.
As for the three damaged carriages, the company said that an insurance company is taking care of the matter.
The Pink Line train route has become very popular among commuters, whose daily numbers peaked at 107,203 during the month-long trial. The route passes through the Nonthaburi Civic Centre, Thai Com and a number of shopping malls.
It also connects with the Purple Line at the Nonthaburi Civic Centre, the Red Line at Lak Si station, the Green Line at Phra Sri Mahathat station and the Orange Line at Min Buri station. Two extensions to Muang Thong Thani are under construction and are expected to be completed in the next two years.
