Safety talks loom for BTS Skytrain

City Hall and the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) will next week hold talks on installing platform barriers on all the BTS Skytrain stations, after a woman fainted and fell onto the train tracks at Ratchathewi station yesterday.

The woman reportedly fell onto the tracks around 8.15am. She is said to be safe but incurred some bruising.

The station is not installed with platform barriers — a safety feature placed between the platform and the train tracks. Only nine out of 35 of BTS stations are equipped with such features.

The lack of these safety enhancement features stem from the complicated contract and concession arrangement between City Hall and BTSC.

Of all 35 stations the BTSC is responsible for 23. However, the original contract did not require the private operator to install platform barriers. The BTSC voluntarily installed them at nine stations at a total cost of 600 million baht, according to the company.

The BMA, however, did not install platforms at 12 stations under its jurisdiction.

Deputy Bangkok governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said yesterday the city administration can proceed with installing barriers on 12 stations under its jurisdiction.

But it must discuss the matter before a official decision can be made.

BTSC chief executive officer Surapong Laoha-unya said one of the topics to be discussed next week is whether the company needs to install safety barriers at all of the stations.

“The barriers were not even included in the concession contracts, but were introduced as a safety measure for the public,” Mr Surapong said.

“We are holding talks [with the BTSC board] on whether we should install them at all stations.”

The Skytrain chief said the BTSC normally chooses which stations to install barriers in based on passenger congestion.

Only nine crowded stations have barriers: Siam, Asok, On Nut, Phaya Thai, Victory Monument, Sala Daeng, Chit Lom, Phrom Phong and Chong Nonsi.

A BMA source said installing barriers at all stations would be “difficult” given financial constraints.

This is not the first time the issue of inadequate safety features at at BTS Skytrain station has been raised.

Previously, a network representing people with disabilities criticised the lack of features that would facilitate them accessing the transit system.

In one case, the group sued the BTS and City Hall for failing to provide such features at 23 stations.

Under the official concession, the BTSC is not required to do so.

But an Administrative Court order in January 2015 ordered the BMA and the BTSC to add lifts, ramps and other features at its original 23 stations as well as its trains within a year of the ruling.

So far, only four of the stations have had the facilities installed.

The BTSC has three concession contracts with the BMA. The first holds it responsible for investment, construction and operations on its original route from Mor Chit to On Nut on the Sukhumvit Line, as well as from National Stadium to Saphan Taksin in the Silom Line.

This concession contract is set to expire in 2029.