BREAKING: Power outage forces closure of Airport Rail Link

[webfact]

Power outage closes Airport Rail Link, leaves thousands of passengers stranded
Kwaang Siripoom


Image: JS100

BANGKOK:-- A power outage has forced the closure of the Airport Rail Link bringing considerable delays and disruption to commuters on Monday morning.

The outage happened just after 8:15am at Ramkhamhaeng station and forced one train to stop between Ramkhamhaeng and Hua Mark stations.

According to reports in Thai media, passengers were left trapped inside the train without air conditioning. Some passengers apparently passed out due to the hot temperatures inside the train.

At 9.24 am, JS100 Radio Page, reported that stuck passengers started evacuating the train after they had to be trapped inside the carriages for over an hour.

Passengers reportedly complained that they had received no update from staff at the Airport Rail Link during the ordeal.

Officials from Airport Rail Link said they are working to fix the problem, although no further updates are available at this time.

Passengers are advised to make alternative travel arrangements.


-- 2016-03-21

[FloridaExport]

That certainly looks like a much safer alternative than sitting in the train to wait for the power to come back on.

Edited March 21, 2016 by FloridaExport

[apetley]

That certainly looks like a much safer alternative than sitting in the train to wait for the power to come back on.

Does the train have an on-board power supply? If it doesn't I can guess it would be like sitting in an oven very quickly so not surprising wanting to get out.

[jamesbrock]

Well that's certainly a novel energy saving measure...

[NongKhaiKid]

Will the power outage be reasonably explained or have the SRT's infamous ' evil spirits ' expanded their activities ?

[steven100]

an electrical short triggered circuit breakers.

[petedk]

Thai social media and Twitter are showing photos of people being treated by medics because of lack of air on the stations.

[watcharacters]

That Airport link cost a lot of baht!

Thailand is, I suppose, an "emerging" country so these things happen. As time goes by I'll hope along with others the power outages are less and less frequent.

Not third world but emerging for sure..

[webfact]

Chaos as airport rail link service disrupted by power supply failure



BANGKOK: -- Airport Rail Link (ARL), owned and operated by the State Railway of Thailand, this morning announced power supply breakdown at its Ramkhamaeng station, during the morning rush hour, disrupting the service for over an hour.
The disruption stranded thousands of passengers at eight stations along its 28.6 kilometre long route from Phyathai to Suvarnabhumi airport.

The SRT Electrified Train, a SRT subsidiary which operates the train service, initially said the power supply failure will cause a 20-minute delay at each station.

But passengers at all stations complained of over 20 minutes delay.

Worst was that passengers stuck on train from Ramkhamhaeng to Hua Mark stations were trapped inside the train car which the air conditioning system also stopped functioning after its reserved power supply ran out.

They complained to both webpages of JS 100 and FM 91 radio stations that they were stuck inside the train bogies and now could breathe difficultly.

No SRT officials even came to look at the situation inside the locked bogies, forcing passengers to break open the doors of the train to come out to breathe fresh air.

Some passengers inside the packed train car were reported to faint after they were told to wait inside the bogies longer than the promised time.

No one even came out to give instruction on what they should do in case of emergencies.

Some passengers said they were trapped inside the train bogies for almost an hour to the extent that some have to break open the slides doors to come out as breathing becoming difficult.

At 9.30 am today a new train came to park at the rear of the stranded train at Ramkhamhaeng station to take the stranded passengers back to the platform.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/156021

-- Thai PBS 2016-03-21

[NCC1701A]

"No SRT officials even came to look at the situation inside the locked bogies, forcing passengers to break open the doors of the train to come out to breathe fresh air.

Some passengers inside the packed train car were reported to faint after they were told to wait inside the bogies longer than the promised time.

No one even came out to give instruction on what they should do in case of emergencies.

Some passengers said they were trapped inside the train bogies for almost an hour to the extent that some have to break open the slides doors to come out as breathing becoming difficult."

Edited March 21, 2016 by NCC1701A

[zakk9]

That Airport link cost a lot of baht!

Thailand is, I suppose, an "emerging" country so these things happen. As time goes by I'll hope along with others the power outages are less and less frequent.

Not third world but emerging for sure..

Thailand has been an "emerging" country for at least 50 years. Unfortunately, the country seems to be moving towards an "emergency" status.

The Airport Link could have been a great business opportunity to SRT and a superb alternative way travelling into Bangkok for people coming from areas east and southeast of the capital. Unfortunately, it seems to be falling apart, and little is done to develop the line. To short trains, lacking parking facilities at the stations, inefficient stations, infrequent departures. The express line? Shut down because of lacking maintenance.

[WhizBang]

And the SRT wants to run one of the new MRT lines.

[webfact]

Bangkokians forced to walk on Airport Rail Link track after train stopped working
By Coconuts Bangkok


Photo: Sombat Sudnaen

BANGKOK: -- Dozens of Bangkokians were forced to walk on the Airport Rail Link’s tracks this morning as they were evacuated from a train to another due to a power outage.

At 9am this morning, the Airport Rail Link transferred an entire crowded train to another train by foot between Makkasan and Ramkhamhaeng station, after the train had stopped working and they had spent an hour trying to fix the problem without success.

Some passengers reportedly fainted as they were crammed on the crowded train with limited oxygen.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/03/21/bangkokians-forced-walk-airport-rail-link-track-after-train-stopped-working


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-03-21

[leeneeds]

You have to ask how many times this has happened before,

having used this trip so many times myself i think it is

a great service, cheap and normally a time saver.

Unlucky for those who where on the train, man made things do break down

how quick to rubbish a service that on the whole has been a good thing.

[NCC1701A]

10:42am Airport Rail Link has resumed services from Phaya Thai but expect delays

[Nicolas32]

HAHA

[webfact]

Hundreds Trapped in Hot, Crowded Airport Link Train
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter


Airport Rail Link passengers are treated Monday morning in Bangkok. Photo: Ruamkatanyu Foundation

BANGKOK — Hundreds of Airport Rail Link passengers were trapped in stifling heat inside a crippled train for nearly an hour this morning.

At least two passengers required treatment for difficulty breathing among the hundreds stuck in a crowded train traveling from Hua Mak station toward Ramkhamhaeng station at about 8am on Monday when the power failed, according to the Bangkok Emergency Medical Service. Six passengers fainted and were taken to Vipharam Hospital, according to a report from FM91.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1458535541


-- Khaosod English 2016-03-21

[Thian]

Luckily for the SRT they were all Thai citizens who can stand some heat.

If the trains were full of overweighted farang just coming from their cold countries there would have been heartattacks i guess.

But they waited one hour before enforcing the doors? Were there no lifehammers around to smash the windows?

For sure i won't be in the new BTS-routes to test them. This is my worst nightmare come through and what a mismanagement to let the passengers suffer in the trains without any help.

[trogers]

The typical result when the business has fingers dipped into it by politicians and govt officials...

[hansnl]

As far as I know, a bogie is the thing where the carriage containing the passengers is resting upon.

The thing with wheels.

[apetley]

As far as I know, a bogie is the thing where the carriage containing the passengers is resting upon.

The thing with wheels.

That's how I understand it too but all my Thai friends refer to the whole carriage as a bogie. Same in India too I believe.

[NCC1701A]

[rkidlad]

You have to ask how many times this has happened before,

having used this trip so many times myself i think it is

a great service, cheap and normally a time saver.

Unlucky for those who where on the train, man made things do break down

how quick to rubbish a service that on the whole has been a good thing.

And if someone had died? Or in fact, if someone does die? People have been admitted to hospital.

Service breaking down is acceptable. No contingency plan - not acceptable.

[Thian]

You have to ask how many times this has happened before,

having used this trip so many times myself i think it is

a great service, cheap and normally a time saver.

Unlucky for those who where on the train, man made things do break down

how quick to rubbish a service that on the whole has been a good thing.

And if someone had died? Or in fact, if someone does die? People have been admitted to hospital.

Service breaking down is acceptable. No contingency plan - not acceptable.

Mai ben lai krab, don't think anybody working there got fired or any other reprimande for not helping the passengers.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As is often the case here, I think there's more to this story than is being reported or told... Reason being...

My wife takes the ARL to and from work every day, including the Ramkhamhaeng and Huamark sections of the route. And last week, in the evening on the way home one day, her ARL train got stuck/stalled coming out of Huamark toward Ramkhamhaeng for about a half hour.

From what she told me, the power didn't go out, but the train couldn't move, was well away from the Huamark station so passengers couldn't just exit back into the station, and the train kept going forward and back a bit trying to move. And like today's incident, little or no announcement/information passed along to the passengers.

To me, it seems pretty unlikely that they'd have two breakdowns in basically the same location a few days apart, and not have some connection/relationship between the two.

I believe the prior problem was around 5 pm last Friday, March 18. And the ARL Facebook page in Thai language seems to have some discussion of it, as well.

https://www.facebook.com/PR.ARL

Edited March 21, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Lupatria]

Recently I was bashed by a TVF member for my opinion that Thai people and electricity are a dangerous marriage...

[Minnehaha]

Luckily for the SRT they were all Thai citizens who can stand some heat.

If the trains were full of overweighted farang just coming from their cold countries there would have been heartattacks i guess.

But they waited one hour before enforcing the doors? Were there no lifehammers around to smash the windows?

For sure i won't be in the new BTS-routes to test them. This is my worst nightmare come through and what a mismanagement to let the passengers suffer in the trains without any help.

I have sat more than a few times on a fully loaded BTS train when someone pushes the pause button for longer than 5 minutes. Almost always there is some kind of announcement, most of the time it COMES AFTER THE TRAIN STARTS MOVING to tell us what we already know - there will be a delayed service.

More than a few times, I have gotten on the BTS to find the aircon off, or simply blowing warm air.

I feel the same about closed train cars, particularly when it is 90 degrees and the humidity is 79% which it was this morning at 9am. In these conditions, if the train stopped and all power was cut, I think I would last about 10 minutes before I took one of those hammers and smashed the door to open it, if I had not lost consciousness yet. Not sure if I would hop onto the hot tracks but opening the windows and doors would definitely be done. If that failed I would take my chances on the tracks, careful to stay away from the 3rd rail. I can take the heat but not in a train with a lot of other people. I would freak out.

[thesetat2013]

That Airport link cost a lot of baht!

Thailand is, I suppose, an "emerging" country so these things happen. As time goes by I'll hope along with others the power outages are less and less frequent.

Not third world but emerging for sure..

Doubtful because they can barely manage the power supply demanded already. Then you have to think in the future. Electric cars and buses are being brought into the fold. If Thailand doesn't do something about generating more power it will eventually bring Thailand to a standstill.

Perhaps they will get lucky and Bkk will sink before this happens. I am starting to look seriously at getting solar panels for my house because we lose power at least 8 days a month already.

[Thian]

Luckily for the SRT they were all Thai citizens who can stand some heat.

If the trains were full of overweighted farang just coming from their cold countries there would have been heartattacks i guess.

But they waited one hour before enforcing the doors? Were there no lifehammers around to smash the windows?

For sure i won't be in the new BTS-routes to test them. This is my worst nightmare come through and what a mismanagement to let the passengers suffer in the trains without any help.

I have sat more than a few times on a fully loaded BTS train when someone pushes the pause button for longer than 5 minutes. Almost always there is some kind of announcement, most of the time it COMES AFTER THE TRAIN STARTS MOVING to tell us what we already know - there will be a delayed service.

More than a few times, I have gotten on the BTS to find the aircon off, or simply blowing warm air.

I feel the same about closed train cars, particularly when it is 90 degrees and the humidity is 79% which it was this morning at 9am. In these conditions, if the train stopped and all power was cut, I think I would last about 10 minutes before I took one of those hammers and smashed the door to open it, if I had not lost consciousness yet. Not sure if I would hop onto the hot tracks but opening the windows and doors would definitely be done. If that failed I would take my chances on the tracks, careful to stay away from the 3rd rail. I can take the heat but not in a train with a lot of other people. I would freak out.

Actually i have never looked for life-hammers in the skytrains but next time i will or bring my own. I always expected the doors to open in case of emergency so we can walk to the next station.

Skytrains are always very full so without aircon and locked doors it must be hell inthere. Even more when dressed to go to office.

But it's the same on the passengerboats, just count the passengers and the amount of lifevests and you can do the math.

Strange that nobody smashed the windows.

[Searat7]

Operation of the Airport Link should have been turned over to the BTS long ago, especially after there were service reductions because required maintenance was not contracted in advance. I think Express Train service was stopped nearly 2 years ago....it's likely those trains have had many parts removed to keep the regular trains operating.