Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has identified five projects that will need to be endorsed by the government this year in a bid to bolster investment for the country.
There are three mass transit lines and two waste treatment projects under public-private partnerships (PPP) on his list that will be put before the cabinet for approval by the end of this year, he told the PPP Policy Committee on Thursday.
The rail projects are the Pink Line from Khae Rai to Min Buri, the Yellow Line from Lat Phrao to Samrong and the extended Blue Line. The other two projects involve waste management and power plants in Nonthaburi and Nakhon Ratchasima. They have a combined investment cost of around 200 billion baht.
"The investment will be in the form of a PPP to save state funds on plans to improve basic infrastructure and to make the government control public debt in line with the Finance Ministry's policy to cap it between 50% and 60% (of GDP)," he said.
The government will issue an infrastructure fund to pool money to partner with private firms on the projects, he added.
Kulit Sombatsiri, director of the State Enterprise Policy Office, said the Blue Line could be first in the line-up for cabinet approval as its blueprint was ready, which should enable the project to get off the ground quickly, followed by the Pink and Yellow routes.
The government plans to extend the Blue Line beyond Bang Khae to become a main feeder for commuters from the southern part of Bangkok to downtown. The line now runs from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue, and the new section from the two stations to Bang Khae are under construction.