The plan to build the first extension for the Red Line electric rail system from Rangsit to Thammasat University is ready to be submitted to the cabinet, according to the Ministry of Transport.
The 8.8-kilometre route to the Thammasat Rangsit campus in Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani is one of three planned extensions, said Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote. Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has approved the project and forwarded it to the secretariat of the cabinet, he said.
The Ministry of Finance, Budget Bureau and National Economic and Social Development Council also need to review the plan before it can be approved by the cabinet, said Mr Surapong.
The Rangsit-Thammasat extension will comprise four stations: Khlong Neung, Bangkok University, Chiang Rak and Thammasat Rangsit Campus. The construction cost is estimated at 6.47 billion baht, with bids expected to be called this year. It will take 35 months to build and is scheduled to open in 2028, he said.
Proposals for the other two extensions, both from Taling Chan station, are expected to be forwarded to the cabinet no later than August, he said.
The 14.8km Taling Chan-Salaya route will have six stations and cost 10.67 billion baht, according to a source at the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The 5.7km Taling Chan-Siriraj Hospital route with three stations will cost 4.61 billion baht.
Bidding for the two construction contracts is expected to take place later this year, while construction is due to begin next year and finish by 2028.
The SRT is still deciding which train technology to use for the extensions, as procurement of new trains must comply with the government’s green and low-cost public transport policies, said the source.
Under the green policy, all public transport services including public buses and taxis will have to be electric by 2029.
The SRT’s diesel locomotives will be replaced by hybrid versions that can run on electric power within a 200km radius of Bangkok, before switching to oil when leaving this area, said the source.
