Broken BTS, packed platforms greet commuters as Bangkok begins to reopen

Commuters wait for train service Tuesday morning at BTS Siam. Photo: Watchara Takum / Facebook
Commuters wait for train service Tuesday morning at BTS Siam. Photo: Watchara Takum / Facebook

Bangkok took a big step back to normal Tuesday and, sure enough, the BTS broke down.

Long queues and longer delays greeted commuters this morning after a switch became blocked at about 5am, according to the Skytrain system operator. Even worse, they were packed in tight with no social distancing measures in place on a day some were returning to work for the first time in weeks.

While the train operator tweeted that it would take “15 minutes” to fix the problem between BTS Siam and National Stadium, it went on and on without being solved until normal operation resumed just before 9am.

Coming off a long holiday weekend, Tuesday marked the sanctioned reopening of a number of businesses and venues in a partial lifting of measures put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19. New confirmed cases have slowed to a trickle, with only

People shared their morning suffering online and complained it was  impossible to maintain safe distance while waiting for a train.

“How are we supposed to practice social-distancing?” Twitter user @Pzzzcrystal tweeted.

“You’re such a liar. I’ve been waiting for over half an hour. If there is COVID-19 infection because the skytrain broke down, because people are packed at the station, will you take responsibility?” @Uma_4147 wrote.

“This is the moment I get infected with COVID-19. So many people. So crowded. No more social-distancing,” @Junejune028 wrote.

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