The Transport Ministry has clarified its policy for naming mass-transit stations with the focus on neighbourhoods rather than streets.
The decision was made at a meeting on Friday in line with the transport minister's directive, Manager Online reported on Friday.
Arkhom Termpittayapaisith wanted the station names to be uniform because more lines will be built in the future, Jirut Visarnchit, a ministry inspector, said after the meeting of the rail integration committee.
In addition to transport authorities, representatives of two mass-transit operators attended the meeting. They were the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which runs the subway, and the State Railway of Thailand, which operates the Airport Rail Link (ARL).
The meeting agreed to use area or neighbourhood names as the first choice when naming stations, followed by intersections and landmarks in the area.
Street names should be avoided because some main roads traverse large areas.
If stations are in the same building, they must have the same name. If they are less than 50 metres apart, the same name should be used.
The stations can then be colour-coded based on the lines to make them easier to remember and understand.
For stations already in operation, a public survey will be conducted before a decision is made since commuters are already familiar with their names.
At present, there are four places where two stations with different names are located. They are: Mor Chit (BTS) and Chatuchak (MRT); Asoke (BTS) and Sukhumvit (MRT); Sala Daeng (BTS) and Silom (MRT); Phetchaburi (MRT) and Makkasan (ARL).
The stations under construction or in the bidding process are Phattanakan on the Yellow Line and Hua Mak of the ARL in which case the latter will prevail.
The Orange Line and the Light Red Line of the SRT also have two places where stations in the same area have different names.
In one location, the Thon Buri-Siriraj station of the Red Line will change its name to Siriraj, the same as the Orange Line.
In the other, the Charan Sanitwong station of the Red Line will change its name to Bang Khun Non like the Orange Line.
There are also cases where stations in different places have the same name but not all have been built yet, so they can easily be changed.