Prayut to officially launch Yellow Line

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will officially open the Yellow Line electric train — now offering free rides to passengers on most parts of the route — on June 19, according to a source in the Transport Ministry.

The premier is expected to preside over the Line’s opening at 10am on June 19 when the entire route — which comprises 23 stations from Lat Phrao to Samrong — will be up and running.

The Yellow Line is Thailand’s first straddle-beam monorail. It held its soft opening last Saturday and has been giving people free rides across 13 of its stations, from Hua Mak to Samrong. Construction of facilities at Lat Phrao Station is still incomplete.

The line covers 30.4 kilometres, with a travel time of around 30 minutes from end to end.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand tomorrow will meet the Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM), an affiliate of the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) and concessionaire of the Yellow Line, to evaluate the trial run.

The free rides will run until July 3. From June 12, the train’s operating hours will be extended from between 9am-8pm currently to between 6am9pm daily.

With a maximum speed of 80km/h, the monorail holds four carriages that can carry up to 568 passengers each, or about 17,000 passengers per hour, according to the BTSC. Fares will range from 15 to 45 baht, subject to changes based on the consumer price index for the previous three months.

The Yellow Line is interlinked with the Green Line at Samrong Station, the Airport Rail Link at Hua Mak Station and the Blue Line at Lat Phrao Station. Soon the Yellow Line will also be connected to the Orange Line via Yaek Lam Sali Station.