INFRASTRUCTURE / TRANSPORT : Bids for five new mass transit lines likely to begin in March

INFRASTRUCTURE / TRANSPORT : Bids for five new mass transit lines likely to begin in March.

WICHIT CHANTANUSORNSIRI

Contract bidding for the first of five new mass-transit lines in Bangkok is expected to begin in March, according to the Finance Ministry.

The Red line, running from Rangsit to Bang Sue to Taling Chan, covers 41 kilometres and has a projected cost of 53.98 billion baht. Bidding for civil work will start in March, with contracts for the Bang Sue-Rangsit phase to start in August.

Contracts for the Blue and Purple lines are expected to be awarded in May. The Blue line, covering 27 km from Bang Sue-Tha Phra-Bang Khae and Hua Lamphong-Tha Phra, has an estimated cost of 52.58 billion baht. The Purple line, covering 23 km from Bang Yai to Bang Sue, is projected to cost 29.16 billion.

The remaining two lines will be put up for bid in October. They are the 13-km, 14.7-billion-baht Dark Green line from Rangsit to Saphan Mai, and the 14-km, 14.9-billion-baht Light Green line from Onnuj to Samut Prakan.

The five projects are the highest-profile elements of the government's infrastructure megaproject programme, first initiated by the Thaksin Shinawatra government to boost public investment in key utilities and services.

For the mass-transit projects, the government will be responsible for civil engineering work and laying the rail track, with the private sector contracted to run train operations.

The government insists that for the new routes, it will not offer private concessions such as the BTS Skytrain or the Bangkok Subway, but will instead retain full authority to set fares and operate all five systems under a "single operation" concept.

Each route will also be linked to the Skytrain and subway under a clearing house scheme to share fare revenue across the different networks.

Officials said it was likely that fare revenues per passenger would be cut under the concession changes but the shortfall would be offset by higher ridership.

Bangkok Post
Monday January 15, 2007