Railway contracts to be auctioned next month
Auctions for contracts to build extensions to the MRT Purple Line in Bangkok from Tao Poon to Rat Burana will commence next month, according to Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) acting governor Rithika Suparat.
He said the extension, stretching 23.6km, will be worth around 101 billion baht, with over 77 billion baht making up construction costs.
This will be split into six contracts, four for underground work, one for the elevated part of the route, and the other for the rail tracks.
Mr Rithika said he expects the contracts to be signed by the end of the year, with construction to begin in 2019.
“The Finance Ministry has proposed we request a loan from the Asian Development Bank to cover 10% of the construction expenses, with the rest of the funds being drawn from domestic loans,” he said.
The plans will be submitted to the MRTA board for approval, with terms of reference for the contracts drafted by February.
He said authorities are conducting feasibility studies for the MRT Orange Line’s western extensions from the Thailand Cultural Centre to Bang Khun Non.
According to him, one of the options includes private companies being allowed to invest in both the construction and operation of the extension line project, in a public-private-partnership (PPP) scheme.
The MRTA acting chief said approval for the additions to the Green Line from Samut Prakan to Bang Pu and from Khu Khot to Lam Luk Ka in Pathum Thani could be postponed until 2019.
He said the authority is waiting for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to clear up whether it will honour the 84.5-billion-baht debt it owes the MRTA for the Green Line extensions from Bearing to Samut Prakan and from Mo Chit to Khu Khot.
City Hall last week agreed to pay the MRTA. It requested a 10-year debt suspension allowing it to start settling the debt from 2029.
Although the Transport Ministry agreed to the request in principle the government has not made any decision on subsidies, ministry officials said.
Mr Rithika said Blue Line extensions from Bang Khae to Phutthamonthon Sai 4 are awaiting drafts for a PPP scheme after the government instructed the MRTA to involve private companies in the route’s construction and operation.
He said tram networks in Phuket are also looking into setting up a PPP scheme, potentially ushering in a wave of provincial trams. The studies will be completed within four months and then submitted to the cabinet for approval.