Bidding for commercial development and facility management at Bang Sue Central Station will be launched late this year, according to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).
The station is expected to serve as the country's main rail hub.
Takun Indarachome, director of the SRT's Traffic Department, said the development of the 13,000-square-metre floor space at the station would be split into two contracts.
The first contract concerns the commercial development of the space, in which the SRT aims to charge each tenant from 1,400 to 2,000 baht per square metre per month. The development includes retail shops, restaurants and digital billboards.
Another contract involves facility management, which includes security, related technology and other services, which cost the SRT around 300 million baht a year.
"The SRT is stepping up efforts to complete the terms of reference [ToR] for the bidding by July," said Mr Takun. The ToR will be forwarded to the SRT's board in August.
"An announcement will be made to attract private firms to submit their bid envelopes in either November or December. The bid winner is likely to be known by the middle of next year," said Mr Takun.
In 2021 when the station opens, spending in shops in the commercial spaces is forecast to be around five million baht a day. This figure is expected to increase five-fold starting from 2032 and to 30-40 million baht a day from 2042.
The station is expected to handle an estimated 80,000 people a day from 2021, 250,000-300,000 people a day from 2032 and 350,000-400,000 people per day from 2042.
According to Mr Takun, the station's first floor will consist of waiting areas, shops and connection points with Bang Sue train station. The second floor will contain VIP space and control rooms. The rail platforms will be on the third floor.
The SRT has launched bidding for the 11-billion-baht commercial development of the station's Zone A covering 32 rai of land.
An SRT source said four firms have bought bid envelopes. They are Central Pattana Plc, CH Karnchang Plc, Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc and a state enterprise from Japan.