A new age of fully-automated monorail

Global provider of integrated urban solutions Alstom will be delivering the system for Bangkok’s Metropolitan Rapid Transit Pink Line, which is expected to enter service in 2024.

This follows Alstom having been awarded the contract to supply the turnkey Innovia monorail system for the Eastern Bangkok Monorail Company, which operates the Yellow Line, in 2017. The Yellow Line, Bangkok’s first driverless urban line, features 30 four-car monorail train sets, fully automated train control and integrated wayside railway systems.

The Pink Line project delivery, led by Alstom’s Turnkey regional hub in Bangkok, will include system integration, installation, testing and commission of the Innovia monorail trains incorporating Cityflo 650 GOA4 driverless signalling, communication systems, power supply and conductor rail, track switches, platform screen doors and depot equipment.

The Innovia monorail trainsets have been manufactured at the Alstom joint-venture CRRC Puzhen Alstom Transportation Systems in China. Alstom will provide 20 years of long-term maintenance for most of the systems provided and has mobilised a team of 170 services professionals to support the two monorail lines.

Alstom’s portfolio of fully-automated, driverless turnkey transport solutions is the ideal solution for the particular challenges of Bangkok’s urban transportation, having been designed to serve rapidly growing cities and dense urban areas.

The Innovia monorail systems are elevated and operated on dedicated guideways. This ensures a smooth service that does not interfere with surrounding road traffic. The solutions are characterised by exceptional route flexibility, outstanding availability and high efficiency in terms of passenger capacity, energy consumption and land use.

The Full Trial Run Opening Ceremony on June 19 was attended by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o- cha.

“Alstom does more than simply deliver operationally functional rail systems. We transform mobility on a large scale, by pioneering smarter and greener mobility solutions to the benefit of all. The inauguration of Bangkok’s Yellow Line is another step in transforming urban mobility in the densely populated capital and will provide passengers with a comfortable, safe and efficient journey, cutting journey times by a third,” Alstom East Asia MD Toby Tiberghien commented.

The monorail also features spacious and open designs, low interior noise and vibrations as well as large windows to create a bright atmosphere and a comfortable passenger experience.