The President of the Thai Association for Town Planning has proposed two tram routes to accommodate commuters having to travel through the heavily congested Ratchaprasong area.
Thapana Bunyapravit said the Ratchaprasong and Pathumwan business areas suffer from heavy traffic due to a lack of proper city planning and a feeder system to connect the busy local BTS stations, subway and the Airport Rail link.
Accordingly, a tram system, as implemented in other big cities, could be a solution, he said, adding that trams are used in many countries to link major locations, such as shopping malls, hotels, schools, universities, economic districts and embassies.
The first route would start at Ratchaprasong, pass along Ratchadamri Road, Rama IV Road, Sarasin Road and terminate in Ratchaprarop close to the Airport Rail Link's Ratchaprarop station.
This 15km Yellow Line would cost 5-6 billion baht, Mr Thapana said.
The second route, would also begin in Ratchaprasong and run along Ratchadamri Road but would then turn right onto Rama IV Road and right again onto Phaya Thai Road.
It would then pass through the intersection at MBK shopping mall, over Hua Chang Bridge and turn right onto Phetchaburi Road before heading back to Ratchaprasong. This 12-km route -- the Pink Line -- is estimated to cost 3-4 billion baht.
According to Mr Thapana, smart buses will use the routes late this year to gauge commuter demand. If there is significant commuter uptake, investment in the tram project would be possible. He said a tram is able to carry 98-100 passengers and 10 would be procured for the two routes.
Trams would arrive at a station every 15 minutes, Mr Thapana said. They would also be equipped with WiFi internet access and offer special facilities to assist the elderly, he added.