MRTA pushes city, Phuket transit plans

Full purchase estimated to be B220 billion

Based on a combined investment of about 220 billion baht, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand( MRTA) will urge the Transport Ministry to move forward with three mass transit projects in Bangkok and Phuket.

The projects, according to MRTA government Pakapong Sirikantaramas, are related to both a large travel task in Phuket and the Orange and Brown lines in Bangkok.

The Min Buri district in the south of Bangkok is connected to the Bang Khun Non neighborhood in Bangkok’s Noi area on the north bank of the Chao Phraya River by the Orange Line.

The work on the eastern extension, which may cover 13.4 km and link the Cultural Centre station to Bang Khun Non, has not yet begun. Currently, the northeast side is about complete and extends 22.57 kilometers from Min Buri to the Thailand Cultural Center station.

According to Mr. Pakapong, the eastern expansion of the Orange Line has been delayed because of a disagreement over the bidding process. He added that the estimated total cost is estimated to be around 140 billion baht.

The 22.1 km Brown Line electronic rail, which will cost 49 billion baht to build and connect Khae Rai in Nonthaburi to Lam Sali in Bangkok, is the next project that still needs to be approved.

A feasibility study, the terms of the bidding, and an analysis report on public-private partnerships( PPP ) have all already received MRTA board approval. Before submitting the plan to the Transport Ministry, the MRTA does get feedback from relevant agencies, he continued.

The Expressway Authority of Thailand ( Exat) will collaborate with the MRTA on a part over Prasert Manukitch Road, according to Mr. Pakapong. He stated that the rail would be constructed over a brand-new road that would span 7.2 kilometers.

The second plan is the Phuket Mass Transit initiative, a gentle road that will cost 33 billion ringgit and travel 42 kilometers from Phuket International Airport to Ha Yaek Chalong crossing.

According to Mr. Pakapong, the MRTA needs approval from the new transport minister before the project you proceed, so it is currently on hold.

The MRTA intends to build mass transit systems in different major cities, such as Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Phitsanulok, in addition to Phuket.

While the investigation for Phitsanulok is currently looking to hire a specialist company, the feasibility studies for the jobs in these two places have been finished, he noted.