International airlines urged the government to ensure that the long-delayed airport link project is up and running at its latest promised date in order to complement efforts to make Suvarnabhumi Airport an air hub.
"The sooner the system is opened, the better,'' said Jaiyavat Navaraj, chairman of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), which represents more than 80 international airlines operating through Suvarnabhumi.
The 26-billion-baht rapid transit system that stretches 28 km from Bangkok's international airport to Makkasan has suffered multiple delays.
Current opposition by the State Railway of Thailand's union to setting up a subsidiary company to operate the line has created doubts about whether it can start operations by the second quarter of next year, the latest promised date.
The system will provide an efficient transport option between Suvarnabhumi and the city centre for some 50,000 passengers and 15,000 airline staff and airport workers who need to commute every day and endure the frustrations of long bus waits and unscrupulous taxi drivers, said Mr Jaiyavat.
But Walter Gintschel, the operation specialist for the airport link system, expressed confidence on Tuesday that the system would be ready for a trial run in early December this year, a process that takes about three months, before the line opens for public service in April.
System contractors B.Grimm, Siemens and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction are putting the final touches on the system and the train is actually running back and forth to test the line, the German train expert said.
Many of the nearly 180 international airline staff who were given the chance to try the rail system from the airport to Makkasan on Tuesday morning said they were pleased with the train's performance and are looking forward to using it soon.
The government has tentatively fixed the airport rail link fare at 150 baht per person per trip on the express line, which does not make stops between the airport and Makkasan city terminal, a journey that takes 15 minutes.
The planned fare for the city line, which stops at the six stations along the way with a total running time of 30 minutes, is 45 baht for a single ride.
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- Writer: Bangkokpost.com
