PUBLISHED : 14 Feb 2024 at 04:00
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administrative (BMA) will notify the Interior Ministry regarding an extra budget for the first tranche of debt, worth over 23 billion baht, owed to the Green Line electric rail service operator.
Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said yesterday the ministry will be notified about the Bangkok Metropolitan Council’s (BMC) approval of a payment to the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) for electrical and mechanical (E&M) installation work and operation services.
The BMA and its business arm, Krungthep Thanakhom (KT), owe the BTSC 30 billion baht for hiring the BTSC to provide its operation and maintenance services.
To compensate for the debt, the BMC last week approved the BMA’s use of the additional expenditure from the annual budget for the debt payment. Mr Chadchart said the BMC resolution will be announced in the Royal Gazette after receiving his signature.
The BMA, in consequence, will discuss the process, including the amount of payment in each instalment and duration, in a way that is most efficient and beneficial to the public, as suggested by the BMC. Discussions with KT regarding the payment duration are expected to be wrapped up in a couple of weeks, said Mr Chadchart.
Meanwhile, talks chaired by the deputy governor, Wisanu Subsompon, were held last week on transferring railway projects from the BMA to the Transport Ministry.
Three railway projects that the BMA had earlier supervised — the Silver Line (Bang Na-Suvarnabhumi airport), the first section of the Grey Line (Watcharaphon-Thong Lor), and the Light Blue Line (Din Daeng-Sathon) — are expected to be transferred back to the ministry as some sections of those projects were constructed on the ministry’s railway areas.
The ministry’s management is expected to help with the 20-baht fare rate policy and seek investment initiatives to lead to further infrastructure projects.