THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Transport Ministry expands budget for SRT’s Dark Red suburban railway line

Transport Ministry expands budget for SRT’s Dark Red suburban railway line

The Transport Ministry is planning to double the investment for the new Dark Red Railway Line and extend it to also cover Ayutthaya, a source from the ministry revealed.

The new Dark Red Line will run from Bang Sue to Rangsit in Pathum Thani in the first phase before being extended to cover Ayutthaya. The project is expected to cost Bt42.61 billion in total.

The Dark Red Line, part of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)’s suburban railway extension, will initially cover 8.48 kilometres from Bang Sue to terminate at the Thammasat Rangsit campus. This will cost about Bt6.57 billion and is currently being analysed based on the 2019 Joint State-Private Investment Act.

SRT expects to procure private investment by the end of 2022, before it starts construction with the aim of opening for service by 2025.

“In the first year, the railway is expected to service some 28,150 commuters per day, and this will increase once the line is extended from Thammasat’s Rangsit campus to Phachi terminal in Ayutthaya. There will be four stations on this line, namely Khlong Nueng, Bangkok University, Chiang Rak and Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus,” the source said.

The Dark Red Line will be further extended to cover two routes, Ayutthaya-Phachi and Thammasat Rangsit-Ayutthaya.

The Ayutthaya-Phachi route will cover 19.7km and require an investment of Bt13.07 billion. The environmental impact of this route is currently being assessed. This route will cover four stations, namely Ban Ma, Mab Phrachan, Phra Kaew and Phachi. It is expected to be open for service in October 2034.

The Thammasat Rangsit-Ayutthaya route will cover 31.2km and require about Bt22.97 billion. This route is expected to open in October 2030.

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