The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has agreed to a request by Siriraj Hospital to pay a lump sum rather than make yearly payments for renting its land.
Siriraj Hospital is planning to rent SRT land, which is currently the location of Thon Buri railway station.
The 4.67 rai, or 7,456-square-metre plot, is where Siriraj Hospital has proposed building a new medical complex and where two SRT-operated stations on the future Light Red and Orange lines will be located.
Back in August 2020, the SRT resolved that Siriraj Hospital pay rent to the tune of 50 million baht per year for 30 years. However, the hospital asked that the rent be paid in one lump sum totalling 161 million baht.
SRT's asset management director Monthakarn Sriwilas announced yesterday that SRT executives agreed on July 20 to approve Siriraj Hospital's proposal to pay the lump sum.
"[The SRT] will notify the hospital of the SRT board's decision. The hospital is expected to go ahead in putting together the necessary paperwork while the SRT believes the rental contract signing may take place in September," said Ms Monthakarn.
She added that Siriraj Hospital will include the 30-year rent in its proposal for the 2025 fiscal year's budget.
Siriraj Hospital's medical complex project was given a state budget by the cabinet in September last year worth 3.8 billion baht. Of that total, 2.3 billion baht will cover the construction costs, 1.4 billion baht for procuring medical equipment and 113 million baht for hiring human resources.
The medical complex will be 15 storeys high with three underground floors. Of the 51,853 sqm of usable space, 47,537 sqm will be occupied by the medical complex, while 3,410 sqm will be set aside for the Light Red Line station and 906 sqm for the Orange Line station.
Construction is estimated to take four years. The complex will become Thailand's first hospital connected to electric train stations on two lines.