Agencies to resubmit PPP proposals on MRT Orange Line
The operation of the MRT Orange Line will be put through a joint public-private partnership (PPP) venture for a second time now that the government has changed, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas said on Friday (August 9).
However, the PPP meeting under this government has yet to be scheduled because Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak was only tasked with the job on August 5.
Pakapong explained that all projects pending approval from the previous Cabinet will have to be returned to the agencies that initially made the proposals, so they can be submitted again to the new Cabinet.
Pakapong added that he was sure the State Enterprise Policy Office, which oversees all PPP-venture projects, will be submitting details about the Orange Line operation to the new Cabinet soon.
The Orange Line train service is operated by the MRTA, which grants concessions to different operators. The 22.57-kilometre rail line, which is still under construction, runs from Min Buri district to Bang Khun Non district on Bangkok’s Thon Buri side. It will comprise 30 stations, 22 of which will be located underground.
Pakapong said the operation of this underground train line should be approved by the Cabinet in the coming months, followed by the granting of operating concessions this year. Even if the concessionaires are chosen next year, the operation of the line will not be delayed beyond the original time frame of 2023.