Yellow, Pink line contracts ready to sign

Transport officials look set to wrap up the contract signing for two new electric rail routes — the Lat Phrao-Samrong Yellow Line and Khae Rai-Min Buri Pink Line — with BSR Joint Venture this month.

This will kick start construction which should last just over three years and give Bangkok two more rail routes, linking suburban areas with the city centre, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said.

The 34.5km Pink Line, with an estimated construction cost of 54 billion baht, will run from Nonthaburi’s Khae Rai to Bangkok’s eastern Min Buri district, while the 30.4km Yellow Line, worth about 52 billion baht, will stretch from the Lat Phrao area to Samrong in Samut Prakan.

The two lines will further expand the rail network in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces following the launch of the elevated Purple Line, linking Nonthaburi’s Khlong Bang Phai station and Bangkok’s Tao Pun station and Monday’s opening of a southern Green Line section connecting Soi Bearing and Samrong.

BSR Joint Venture, which is made up of BTS Group Holding Plc and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Plc and Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc, beat Bangkok Expressway and Metro Co (BEM) in bidding late last year to secure the two projects.

BEM is the operator of Bangkok’s first subway line running from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue.

Commenting on all the new rail projects, Mr Arkhom said he was satisfied with their progress as “most are proceeding on schedule”.

In June, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand will ask the cabinet to approve another three projects — the 23.6 km southern Purple Line (Tao Pun-Ratburana), the 8km Blue Line extension (Bang Kae-Phutthamonthon Sai 4) and the 16.4km western Orange Line (Thailand Cultural CentreTaling Chan), he said. Construction costs of the three lines are estimated at 131, 21 and 123 billion baht respectively.

Work is also scheduled to begin on the 21.2km eastern Orange Line, stretching from the Thailand Cultural Centre to Min Buri, next month, following the contract signing, Mr Arkhom said.

As for rail projects under construction, the southern Green Line (Soi BearingSamut Prakan) is almost complete and was making good progress, he said.

Two Blue Line extensions (Hua Lamphong-Bang Khae and Bang Sue-Tha Phra) are nearly ready and the northern Green Line (Mo Chit-Saphan Mai-Khu Khot) is underway, he said.