BANGKOK (THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Bangkok's MRT Metro has removed seating from the middle carriages of one of its subway trains in an effort to alleviate overcrowding during rush hour periods.

The official Facebook fanpage of MRT Metro announced on Monday (Nov 20) that it had started a trial run of the measure to increase the space available for passengers.

The subway operator also asked passengers to move down inside the carriage after boarding in order to open up additional space for other passengers.

The company's latest effort to solve the passenger traffic problem was met with both praise and criticism from commuters.

Some said the idea could increase capacity during rush hours and speed up passenger flow, while others questioned why the Mass Rapid Transit Authority could not solve the problem by adding more trains to the service.

MRT Metro has a poor reputation among Bangkokians as the service is often overcrowded during the morning and evening rush hour periods, resulting in many passengers at the larger stations having to wait in very long queues to get onto the trains, with subsequent disruption to their work and other schedules.