The Prime Minister personally uses the subway, confirming that it is 100% safe, while the construction of the Office of the Auditor General building collapsed, ordering the establishment of a committee to investigate the cause, asking for it to end as a standard for future construction.
The Prime Minister personally uses the subway, confirming that it is 100% safe, while the construction of the Office of the Auditor General building collapsed, ordering the establishment of a committee to investigate the cause, asking for it to end as a standard for future construction.Today (28 March 68) at approximately 12.00 hrs. at the Sanam Chai MRT Station (BL31), Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister, inspected the readiness of the MRT Blue Line to support public service after the earthquake and used the service. Mr. Jirayu Huangtra, Advisor to the Prime Minister, said that after the Prime Minister inspected the MRT (underground) by getting on at Sanam Chai Station and getting off at Sala Daeng Station, he found that many people were confident in using the service. As for the Pink and Yellow Lines, the Ministry of Transport is in the process of inspecting their safety to be 100% as they are elevated monorails, which will be summarized again this evening.In this regard, the Prime Minister asked Mr. Witthaya Phanmongkol, Deputy Governor (Operations) Acting Governor of the MRTA, about the evacuation of passengers, and was informed that the operation was smooth and the passengers were safe. As for the train signal and station structure, it was found that the signal was normal and the station project was strong. Only lightweight materials were dropped. Officials are continuously inspecting them. As for the operation of the Yellow and Pink Lines, The safety of the system must be checked again and a test run will be conducted before it is opened for service .
During the inspection of the MRT Blue Line, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and related ministers rode the subway. The Prime Minister asked about the number of people using the subway each day. During the trip, the Prime Minister stopped to greet foreign tourists who used the subway about the earthquake situation. The tourists answered the Prime Minister that everything was okay, they felt a slight tremor, which is normal. Many countries have experienced similar events, so they are familiar with earthquakes. When the situation stopped, life returned to normal. He said that he loves Bangkok and uses the subway regularly because it is convenient.
The Prime Minister assured that from the inspection, the public can be 100% confident in safety. The government prioritizes the safety of the people. If there is no safety, people’s lives will not be put at risk because the lives of the people are the most important.
As for the Yellow and Pink Lines, it is expected that they will be able to reopen tomorrow (March 30, 2025).As for the compensation measures for the deceased and those affected by the earthquake, the Prime Minister stated that measures have been prepared and will be announced, but there will be a review that is appropriate for the damage that has occurred. As for the issue of the inspection of the structure of the State Audit Office building, which has been a point of observation that there are constructions in many areas, but only one point of the State Audit Office building has collapsed.
“I have doubts about this part as it is only one building. Therefore, it is certain that this matter will not be allowed to pass. The cause must be investigated by having knowledgeable people such as the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning set up a committee to investigate, which will take 1 week to report back. In this regard, a timeline has been given and instructions have been given. The committee, which is knowledgeable and expert, has been ordered to comment and investigate the matter. What caused this? Who approved the construction design? In the meeting, we asked whether this method was the only building in the country that could construct this building. Therefore, this issue must be followed up and investigated for sure,” said the Prime Minister.
Mr. Chirayu continued that Mr. Witthaya Yamuang, Director of the Transport Safety Operation Center 1356, Ministry of Transport, reported the situation at 1:00 p.m. as follows:
Roads: All roads and bridges are open as usual, except for the Din Daeng Expressway entrance and exit, which is still temporarily closed because the crane is being removed from the building. If the service is open as usual, we will inform you later.
Rail systems: BTS, MRT, and Airport Link rail systems, all routes are open as usual. Except for the Nakhon Ratchasima Line and the Pink Line, which will remain closed on Saturday, 29 March 2025, to thoroughly inspect the Bogie set, chassis, related drive systems, and the electrical distribution rails on the outer track beams. Readiness will be assessed again before service resumes on Sunday morning, 30 March 2025.Waterway: open for normal service.
Airway: open for normal service.
Other damages throughout the country are under investigation. If any damage is found, further notification will be made.
