Bangkok Skytrain new routes approved

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Bangkok Skytrain new routes approved 
The Nation: 9 Feb 2010
Commission approves new Skytrain routes
 

The Commission for the Management of Land Traffic has approved two additional Skytrain routes - Pink and Orange - and an Airport Rail Link extension to Don Mueang Airport.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Orange route would run from Min Buri to Bang Kapi, link with the existing Phya Thai Skytrain Station and then cross the Chao Phya River to Thon Buri. This will replace the existing Green route that runs from the National Stadium to Thon Buri, he said.

Abhisit said the Pink route would run from Min Buri to Pak Kret and the Civil Service Complex on Chaeng Wattana Road.

The meeting also agreed to extend the Airport Link to Don Mueang Airport and proceed with the use of Don Mueang as Bangkok's second airport, he said.

The commission plans to propose to the Cabinet that part of the railway be built slightly beneath the land surface in some problematic areas of central Bangkok and that a tunnel be driven beneath the Chao Phya River instead of a new bridge over it, Abhisit said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban will chair a special subcommittee to consider an administration system for the Green and Orange routes, leading to Samut Prakan and Khu Kot, respectively, because a previous Cabinet resolution assigned the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) responsibility for the public works only, Abhisit said. The administration of the routes once they are completed will involve local administrative organisations, so issues related to the administration will have to be explored first.

The prime minister said the MRTA could fund a study of the two additional routes at a cost of about Bt400 million.

"Actually, the master plan for land traffic covers 20 years ahead and 12 routes totalling 470-480 kilometres, and the total budget will be about Bt800 billion," he said, adding that many routes should be completed by 2014-16, helping alleviate city traffic jams "to a certain degree".

Commenting on the previous Cabinet decision to give responsibility for public works on the Green route to the MRTA, Abhisit said the works actually needed local-authority participation in design and signalling systems. This is particularly important for the Green route, because its links with other routes to be as convenient as possible. Hence, the need for the special subcommittee to study the project for a month. The linking of these routes with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority's bus services is a matter for the BMTA and local authorities, Abhisit said.

Bangkok Deputy Governor Theerachon Manomaipiboon said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had noticed the 7.7-kilometre Green route from the National Stadium to Thon Buri would overlap with the 37.5-kilometre Orange Line from Taling Chan to Min Buri. Therefore, if the Green route is cancelled, the city would propose that it operate the Orange line instead.

As for the Green-route extension from Morchit to Saphan Mai, the city would observe the previous Cabinet resolution that assigned it responsibility for design, rail laying and installing signalling and linkage systems, while the MRTA would be in charge of public works.

Theerachon said yesterday's meeting also agreed that local administrative organisations would build secondary-transport systems consisting of monorail and light-rail services that would not overlap other systems. He notified the meeting that the BMA would proceed with two out of a planned eight monorail routes: the Yommarat-City Hall 2 route (Grey Line) and the Ekamai-Thonglor-Ramkhamhaeng University 2 route (Blue Line). This was approved by the prime minister.