Thailand’s Department of Rail Transport will seek approval from the new government for the implementation of four train projects, with a total estimated investment of 63.4 billion baht investment.
According to Pichet Kunadhamraks, the director-general of the department, the four train lines are:
- The Red Line train between Rangsit and Thammasat University, Rangsit campus, which is 8.84km long. Cost is estimated at 6.4 billion baht.
- The Red Line train between Taling Chan and Siriraj, about 5.7km, at a cost estimated at 4.6 billion baht.
- The Red Line train between Taling and Salaya, about 14.8km with an investment estimated at 10.6 billion baht.
- The Brown Line between Khae Rai and Bueng Kum, about 22.1km with an estimated investment of 41.7 billion baht.
Pichet said that the four train routes have been shortlisted from the 33 routes under the department’s M-MAP 2 master plan for rail transport in Bangkok and its peripherals, adding that he expects the four routes to become operational in 2029.
He said that the drafting of the M-MAP 2 master plan was based on extensive public hearings, conducted by the department to gauge the rail needs of commuters in and around Bangkok, adding that the four routes on the shortlist are mostly ready for implementation.
As for the Brown Line, Pichet said the department has asked the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) to examine whether the route will affect the train concessions that it has granted to the private sector.
