Ultra-modern, colourful and aerodynamically shaped: What at first glance looks like a high-speed train is in fact the latest version of the Bombardier Innovia Monorail 300 series. The first Monorail vehicles for Thailand’s capital Bangkok have been delivered by Bombardier. The so called Innovia Monorail 300 trains will run on Bangkok’s new Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) Pink and Yellow Lines, which will provide 64-kilometres of new rail-based urban transportation links across the city.
The milestone was marked at a special event on 1 October 2020, attended by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-Cha, as well as other senior government officials. H.E. Dr. Sarah Taylor, Ambassador of Canada to Thailand was also in attendance, along with representatives from Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), Northern Bangkok Monorail Co. Ltd. (NBM) and Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co. Ltd. (EBM). “The on-time delivery of our first INNOVIA monorail 300 vehicles for Thailand marks an exciting milestone in the history of Thailand’s rail transportation and reflects our strong collaboration between our customers, our PBTS joint venture and our highly-skilled, 600-strong local team,” said Claudio Tiraferri, Managing Director for Bombardier Transportation in Thailand. “Thailand is an important market for Bombardier where, over the last 23 years, we have grown from signalling supplier to the market leader in rail systems and we look forward to seeing the new rail lines become a reality.”
Bombardier’s scope on the 34.2 km Khae Rai-MinBuri (Pink) and 30.4 km Lat Phrao-Samrong (Yellow) Lines comprises 72 four-car INNOVIA monorail 300 trains, wayside systems and the automated BOMBARDIER CITYFLO 650 rail control and system integration. The monorails will be able to run at speeds of up to 80 km/h and with a maximum system capacity of over 28,000 passengers per-hour, per-direction. The system is being delivered from Bombardier’s Bangkok Engineering Centre with vehicles manufactured by the CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Limited (PBTS) joint venture, based on Bombardier’s original design from Canada.
As the leading rail technology company in Thailand, Bombardier employs more than 600 employees to deliver multiple projects in country and across Asia Pacific. Its Bangkok hub hosts a global centre of excellence in digital mass transit solutions and rail systems integration working for projects worldwide. In addition to its iconic monorails, Bombardier is delivering its BOMBARDIER INNOVIA APM 300 automated people mover system for Thailand’s first driverless mass transit system, the Gold Line. It is also the signalling supplier for the Bangkok Skytrain and MRT Purple Line and a section of the State Railway of Thailand’s Northern Line upgrade.
Picture gallery (please click to open):
The two first 4-car Monorail trains on the test track of the CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Limited (PBTS) joint venture I © CRRC 
Production of the Monorail trains in Puzhen, China I © CRRC
Further information on the Bangkok metro systems and its lines under construction can be found here: http://www.urbanrail.net/as/bang/bangkok.htm
Bombardier Monorails worldwide
Bangkok is not the first place to use monorails. The Innovia Monorail 100 and 200 are used exclusively in the USA. The first Monorail 300 has been in service on the silver line 15 in São Paulo since 2014, while further lines are under construction in the following countries
- King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Monorail, Saudi Arabia
- Monorail Lines 1 & 2, Wuhu, China
- Cairo Monorail, Egypt
Picture gallery (please click to open):
Since 2014 the first monorail trains have been in service on line 15 in Brazil I © Bombardier Transportation 
Two-car “short” monorail for Saudi Arabia at InnoTrans 2014 I © UTM
