The Commission for the Management of Land Traffic (OCMLT) will decide on June 10 whether the Orange Line rail route will pass the Thailand Cultural Centre or Rama IX Road.
The 35km route originates at Taling Chan and ends in Min Buri. Under the current design, the route will pass the Thailand Cultural Centre (TCC).
But due to protests from some communities against the route stopping at the TCC, the commission is considering whether the stop should be at Rama IX Road instead.
Speaking after a meeting on the Orange Line yesterday, Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said the OCMLT will consider if the rail route should stick with the previous plan, the 21km Thailand Cultural Centre-Min Buri line, or the new plan, the 20km Rama IX Road-Min Buri route.
ACM Prajin said he has also instructed the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) to prepare construction details of both plans to propose to the OCMLT, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
As for the TCC to Min Buri route, ACM Prajin said the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has conducted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and approved the plan.
The TCC-Min Buri section forms the second section of the entire route. The first section starts in Taling Chan with stops including Pracha Songkhro, Din Daeng and Pratunam.
If the OCMLT agrees with the existing plan, it will be proposed for cabinet approval and construction will start soon.
However, if the OCMLT chooses the Rama IX-Min Buri plan, the whole design and construction blueprint will be changed and a new EIA will be conducted.
If the Rama IX-Min Buri route is picked, the project will be forwarded to the NESDB and the State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo) for their consideration, a process which will take from six to 18 months.
Residents in Pracha Songkhro area have complained that if the TCC-Min Buri project goes ahead, it would require expropriating their land, which they oppose.
ACM Prajin insisted that only 184 families would face expropriation under the TCC-Min Buri route. Even if the section started at Rama IX Road, expropriation would be unavoidable and it would cause even more traffic congestion than the current design.
"Actually, the TCC-Min Buri route received approval from state authorities in 2013. But the MRTA came up with the second plan, the Rama IX-Min Buri route, after it failed to negotiate with residents who believed the plan will require expropriation from many families."
"So, if the OCMLT gives the green light to the current design, it will be the MRTA's responsibility to sort out the current misunderstanding [over the expropriation issue] with residents," ACM Prajin said.
Meanwhile, MRTA governor Peerayuth Singpatanakul said if the Orange Line is built to pass Rama IX, it would save about 500 million baht and the line will be 800 metres shorter.
Prateep Nilwan, leader of the Soi Mae Niew community of residents who fear being affected by the Orange Line, said the community planned to petition the prime minister and ACM Prajin if the route passes the TCC.
He said in their view the Rama IX route option would add to the cost of the 95-billion-baht construction of the line and was not much good either.
Mr Prateep noted, however, that the Rama IX Road-Min Buri section may benefit landlords as the route will be built alongside a large piece of vacant land behind the Esplanade Shopping Plaza on Ratchadaphisek Road.
He said if construction of the Orange Line is approved and the route passes the TCC, residents will file a petition with the Administrative Court.