The government has instructed the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to extend its Red Line electric train system to cover Ayutthaya and Nakhon Pathom.
Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote said on Wednesday that the 8.8-kilometre extension between Rangsit and Thammasat University's Rangsit Campus would be extended further to Ayutthaya, while the 14.8km Taling Chan-Salaya section will be lengthened to reach Nakhon Pathom.
The Rangsit-Thammasat University's Rangsit Campus extension project has been forwarded to the Secretariat of the Cabinet and is now waiting to be slated for the cabinet meeting agenda, he said.
The Taling Chan-Salaya extension project is also ready to be submitted to the cabinet for consideration.
Another Red Line extension project, a 5.7km section designed to connect Taling Chan with Siriraj Hospital, is pending a review by relevant agencies, including the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council.
The three Red Line extension projects will be sent back to the SRT for revision to reflect the current government's transport policy, he said.
The extension projects are being done to improve transport links between the capital and satellite provinces and support growing urbanisation, he added.
In related news, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has resolved to transfer the ownership of two proposed electric rail projects to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
The transfer of ownership would improve the efficiency of the projects' management and operations, said Wisanu Subsompon, a deputy Bangkok governor.
The two lines are the Grey Line (Watcharaphon-Thong Lor) and the Silver Line (Bang Na-Suvarnabhumi airport), Mr Wisanu said.
Since these two lines are designed to connect with the MRTA's electric rail systems, such as the Pink, Brown and Yellow lines, it would make more sense to allow the MRTA to take over them, he said.
The Grey Line is a monorail system designed to improve the convenience of travel between northern Bangkok and inner Bangkok, while the Silver Line is a light rail system to facilitate travel between inner Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi airport, he said.
The proposed ownership transfer will be submitted to the cabinet for approval next week, he said.