preahko Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 has anyone else noticed this...??? I've been riding the skytrain off and on (as a visitor) since it opened in 1999, and pretty regularly since I started living here (2002), so I've gotten to be pretty familiar with the various bumps in the daily regular ride... lately--in the past 4 months or so--I've noticed some pretty serious jolts and bumps on the track, specifically between siam and chitlom (heading east) and recently, a new bumpy section between rachatewi and siam... I'm talking here about a serious jerk/jolt of the train that leaves everyone standing scrambling for balance...is this a sign of a disaster to come? it really feels like the thing is going to jump the tracks or something... haha, although I guess we really don't have to worry, since it's no doubt ISO 9002 (or whatever the fuck) approved, haha.... preahko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Maintenance is the first to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whosyourdaddy Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Think maintance would be ok up till this point since siemens has the contract. Wait till that goes out and a thai company takes over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamokhamok Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 I've passed on your remarks to the BTS Engineer and I'm waiting a reply. He is a friend of mine but very slow in replying to emails. Will be interesting to see his reply. It will probably be that there is no problem. Keep watching this space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene1944 Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 I used to live near the BTS and once every 4-6 weeks you could hear them grinding the rail at night to keep it in shape. Hopefully they still are doing that. I think the drivers habits have changed. There is a lot more rocking on the BTS in some areas than there was a few years ago. I think the drivers are going faster and accelerating quicker and it definitely makes a change to the smoothness of the ride. On a rainy day a few weeks ago, there was wheel slippage on the wet track while accelerating. I think that can be controlled by the operator, probably just have to accelerate a bit slower during bad weather. I wonder if the original drivers were trained by Siemens or whomever and the drivers that are on the rails now were trained by Thai drivers? For whatever reason, the same driving standards are not being maintained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted May 26, 2006 Report Share Posted May 26, 2006 If the time between trains is the same, they can't be going faster. It has to be the track deforming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamokhamok Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 To my knowledge the driver is there to make announcements and to close the doors etc. Everything else is automatic. The speed is governed by computer etc. Did you ever notice when the train gets to the end of the line like Mo Chit the Driver gets out and goes to a box on the platform. He uses a key and turns a switch. When he gets back on the train he closes the doors and off the train goes down into Mo Chit sidings - on its own. If you watch carefully as the train moves off you'll see the driver walking inside the train to the other end for going in the opposite direction. If he takes his time walking you may even see the train arriving back at the other platform with no driver. When it arrives at the other platform he sets a control that takes it oout of complete automation. The driver has little or no control over the train. Did you never wonder why the trains stop at exactly the same place every time at each of the stations. Thats not the driver its all electronics. I understand that these train are designed to be driverless (like some of the London Underground trains) but they were never fully automated with passengers on them because the public wouldn't like it. Some of the airports have driverless trains too - is it Birmingham ?? From one terminal to another ?? The trains that go to Canary Wharf are also driverless. Can't think of the name of them ?? I haven't heard back from mt friend yet. I'll repeat the email next week. If not I'll ask him about the bumpy track in 3 weeks time when I get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bkkbound04 Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 The Docklands Light Railway in London is driverless. As for the driver of the BTS having no control, they seem to miss those stop marks frequently, on one occasion had stopped just .5m short but then moved it along to bring it in line. JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene1944 Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 I frequently take the BTS and I am almost certain that the BTS drivers do have some control. At least a few times a month, they miss the "door stops" entirely by a meter and sometimes more. More than 95% of the time, their stops are right on. Many (most or all?) rapid transit systems around the world are designed to technically function without a driver but are not run that way. The reasons are due to the passenger concerns noted in prior posts above and some due to labor union conflict or rules. I dont know the reasons BTS trains are not driverless in Bangkok. Sometimes I think it would be safer with only computer run trains. Remember the accident at The Thai Cultural Center station a few months after the MRTA system opened? In that case 100 people were injured due to train operator error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldFun Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Copenhagen metro are 100% driverless like the docklands rail. I believe Shanghais mtero might be as well or is labor so cheap there they still keep a driver at hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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