The Ministry of Transport is seeking approval this month for seven new transport development projects with a combined investment value of 133 billion baht, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said on Wednesday.
The first project to be submitted to the cabinet is an 8.84-kilometre extension to the Red Line electric rail system from Rangsit in Pathum Thani to the Rangsit campus of Thammasat University, at an estimated cost of 6.46 billion baht. The other six projects are:
- A 14.8km Red Line extension from Taling Chan to Salaya in Nakhon Pathom, costing 10.67 billion baht.
- A 5.7km section of the Red Line from Taling Chan to Siriraj Hospital, costing 4.61 billion baht.
- The expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport’s passenger terminal on the eastern side, costing 9 billion baht.
- A 4km expressway to connect the Kathu and Patong areas of Phuket, at a cost of 15 billion baht.
- A new 22km motorway, the M5, from Rangsit to Bang Pa-in district in Ayutthaya, at a cost of 31.35 billion baht.
- The new M9 motorway, which will be an addition to Bangkok’s Western Ring Road. The 38km road will run from Bang Khun Thian district in Bangkok to Bang Bua Thong in Nonthaburi. Mr Suriya said the project would cost 56 billion baht.
As well, he said, the ministry is looking to further expand the existing network of motorways linking all regions of the country to better serve the government’s agricultural, tourism, investment and industrial development policies.
