Jica to revise transit blueprint in a year

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has been asked to complete its review and revision of a draft blueprint for the development of mass transit in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces within one year.

Jica has been in talks with the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning and has agreed to review the blueprint which involves the second-phase development of mass-transit projects for the capital and surrounding provinces, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said yesterday.

He said the agency has been asked to finish the draft within one year to ensure the blueprint can be finalised and handed over to the next government.

Jica is expected to cover three points — improving connectivity, creating value for the fundamental structure, and developing human resources to accommodate the expansion of the mass-transit system, he said. According to Mr Arkhom, the blueprint is part of the 20-year strategic plan for national development.

“Jica will also review 10 existing masstransit routes under the first plan to ensure connectivity. The new routes will have to be designed to facilitate commuters. They shouldn’t have to leave a station when switching routes,” he said.

Mr Arkhom said Jica is expected to consider the cost-effectiveness of a mass-transit route passing commercial areas. Normally commercial areas are avoided to reduce land appropriation costs.

“We want their recommendations because Japan’s mass-transit projects pass business areas despite huge investment costs. But they turn out to be cost effective,” he said.

The minister said that creating added value meant how the blueprint could lead to domestic manufacturing of parts to be used in the mass-transit system.

As for human resource development, he said the Ministry of Science and Technology has been asked to contribute.

Meanwhile, a panel recently set up to scrutinise state procurement and bidding for the five controversial double-track railway projects of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is expected to consider proposals for the five schemes soon.

The five projects are the 19-billion-baht Nakhon Pathom-Hua Hin section, the 23-billion-baht Lop Buri-Pak Nam Pho section, the 28-billion-baht Map KabaoThanon Chira Junction section, the 9.8-billion-baht Hua Hin-Prachuap Khiri Khan and the 16-billion-baht Phrachuap Khiri Khan-Chumphon section.

Prasarn Trairatvorakul, who chairs the committee, said the SRT is likely to come up with four proposals, one of which calls for dividing the contract of each project into two separate contracts: one for construction work and the other for a signalling system.