Pattaya City gets ready to erect new monorail line


Pattaya City is looking forward to welcoming a new monorail line which, according to the results of a recent study, would be an ideal mechanism to improve the coastal city’s public transport system and contribute greatly to its economic development.

Called the Red Line, the new monorail system will comprise ten stations and stretch 17.37 kilometres, according to a feasibility study conducted on the new monorail presented at Tuesday’s public hearing, the second such hearing on the new project.

Tuesday’s meeting was conducted by a group of consultant companies hired to design the new electric rail project and conduct an environmental impact assessment on it.

A large number of local business owners with a keen interest in the new line also attended to offer feedback.

Pattaya’s Red Line monorail route will start at Thappraya Intersection, continue onto Thap Phraya Road and then Jomtien Second Road until meeting Jomtien Intersection, turn left onto Chaiyaphruek 1 Road, then enter Chaiyaphruek 2 Road and continue until reaching the Eastern National Sports Training Centre, according to the same report.

The monorail style of electric rail systems was chosen for this project because it will likely take up the least traffic space on these roads and is most suitable to the city’s tourism context, said the report.

These advantages, however, come with the higher costs of construction and maintenance, said the report.

Each station on the line is designed to be about 1km from the next, said the study.

The most suitable format of investment selected for this project is the public private partnership (PPP) one, said the study.