The cabinet has approved 3.85 billion baht for the construction of Siriraj station and hospital facility, connecting the Light Red and Orange lines and making Siriraj Hospital the first in Thailand with direct access from a train station.
Government deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said Tuesday’s cabinet meeting approved construction of a hospital building and Siriraj station at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, with a budget of 3,851.27 million baht.
Of the budget, 2.33 billion has been earmarked for construction costs, 1.40 billion for medical equipment and 113.01 million for salaries. A total of 2.55 billion baht has been sought for 2023-2026 fiscal years and 1.29 billion baht from outside the budget in the form of subsidies.
The project came after the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, the State Railway of Thailand and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for the construction of a new hospital building and Siriraj interchange station so this would become the country’s first public health and public transport station with two stations serving as the interchange for two transit lines.
The Siriraj station would be the interchange for the Orange Line and the Thon Buri-Siriraj Station for the Light Red Line, said Ms Ratchada.
Healthcare services for outpatients and inpatients would be provided. This would facilitate people’s access to health services, shorten their travel time and reduce patient overcrowding at Siriraj Hospital, as the place would be one-stop service with best integrated care, the spokeswoman said.
The site is SRT land adjacent to the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital near Thon Buri-Siriraj station at the Light Red Line along Bangkok Noi canal. The project site covers 4.67 rai of SRT land for a lease period of 30 years.
Under the project, there will be a 15-storey building with 3 basement floors. Usable area will cover 51,853 square metres – 47,537 square metres for the hospital area, 3,410 square metres for the Light Red Line, 906 square metres for the Orange Line.
There will be a car park for 79 vehicles. Construction will take 32 months under the four-year project, she said.