On Aug 12 next year, as the nation celebrates Her Majesty the Queen's birthday and Mother's Day, it will also witness the official launch of the Purple Line elevated rail mass transit system in Her Majesty's honour.
That day will end a long wait for the new 23-kilometre elevated rail track linking Bangkok's Bang Sue and Nonthaburi's Bang Ya, aiming to provide faster and more convenient travel between the capital and the neighbouring province.
Work on the train line has now finished and three new trains delivered last Friday will be used for test runs, expected to begin in October.
Members of the public will be able to travel for free on the line from May to July, ahead of the August launch date, as part of test runs for the route, said Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) governor Peerayudh Singpatanakul. Following its Aug 12 launch, travellers will be required to pay a fare.
The Purple Line project was first mooted almost six years ago as an extension of the Blue Line subway, which runs 21km from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue.
Subway operator Bangkok Metro Plc (BMCL), which was awarded a 30-year concession by the MRTA to run the new line, had expected to open the service last year, but severe floods in 2011 pushed back the date to 2016.
However, there will be no further delay as the Japanese train-maker delivered the first three of 21 trains last Friday, paving the way for the test runs, the BMCL said.
The BMCL will test the trains in three phases. First, the trains will run on a test track in a maintenance centre. Then the trains will undergo a three-month trial between February and April to check how they perform within the rail system. Last, from May to July, people will be allowed to travel in the trains during test runs simulating the real service.
"We'll also have security tests for various cases like a fire, accident, flooding and even a hostage situation," said deputy BMCL managing director Witun Hathairattana.
"The tests will be carried out to ensure the highest standards of service."
BMCL officials hope the Purple Line, the country's fourth electric train project, will offer service on a par with its predecessors, particularly in terms of convenience.
Advocates say the line could also deliver an economic boost, ensuring faster travel between Bangkok and its neighbouring province. In 1999, the first elevated rail track, the skytrain, brought modern transportation to Bangkok.
The 22.25km route linking Mo Chit with Soi Bearing, and the 14.2km route from the National Stadium to Bang Wa, dramatically changed travel in the capital for commuters, who had previously mainly relied on buses.
Bangkok's first metro line, known as the Blue Line, opened five years later in 2004. The 28.6km Airport Rail Link was opened in 2010, linking the skytrain at Phaya Thai station with Suvarnabhumi airport.
The Purple Line, which will pass through Kanchanaphisek, Rattanathibet, Tiwanon, Krungthep-Non and Pracharat roads, will also be linked with the current skytrain system.
Tao Poon station will serve as an interchange station, linking the new line with Bang Sue station on the route to Hua Lamphong.
As suggested by its name, Purple Line trains will have purple seats, compared to the blue seats of the Blue Line.
BMCL executives recently flew to Japan to inspect the train manufacturing progress and visit the maintenance centre of the East Japan Railway Co, commonly known as JR-East. BMCL managing director Sombat Kitjalaksana said JR-East's subsidiary company, Japan Transport Engineering Co (J-TREC), was commissioned to make 21 trains, with a total of 63 carriages, for the Purple Line.
The BMCL trusted the company to do a good job due to its 66-year-long experience in manufacturing high quality trains in Japan, Mr Sombat said.
The operator also hopes Thai technicians can gain maintenance know-how from their experience on the project.
The BMCL, JR-East, Marubeni Co and Toshiba Co, have jointly set up a new company, Japan Transportation Technology (Thailand), to oversee maintenance of the system for 10 years. "This is a major development because previously we just hired foreign firms to do maintenance work," Mr Witun said.
More than 200 technicians will be based at the maintenance centre near Khong Bang Phai station in Nonthaburi, he said. Another 1,000 people, comprising drivers and station staff, will receive training at the centre on operations and services.
The BMCL expects up to 100,000 people a day to travel on the Purple Line in the first year. As for the fare, "it should start at 16 baht like the subways", Mr Peerayudh said.