PM to ride Thailand’s first driverless train on Dec 16
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the opening ceremony of the Skytrain Green Line extension (Mo Chit – Saphan Mai – Ku Kot) and the Gold Line monorail, which is linked to the Green Line at Krung Thon Buri station, on December 16.
“The prime minister will also board the first official driverless train from Krung Thon Buri Skytrain station to Khlong San District Office station along with members of the press,” Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Saturday.
“The Green Line extension and the Gold Line would seamlessly link the transport of people from three provinces -- Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Samut Prakarn. Furthermore, the Gold Line also features Thailand’s first driverless monorail train, which should help in reducing pollution and saving energy,” he added.
The Green Line extension includes seven stations -- Phahon Yothin 59, Sai Yud, Saphan Mai, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Yaek Kor Por Aor, and Khu Khot. The last station is the first Skytrain stop outside Bangkok.
With the extension, the Green Line is 68 kilometres long with 59 stops, and can accommodate up to 1.5 million passenger trips per day.
The Gold Line monorail in the first phase runs between three stations: Krung Thong Buri, Charoen Nakhon and Khlong San, covering a distance of 1.8 kilometres. The system is equipped with automated guideway transit and automated people mover, and can accommodate up to 42,000 passenger trips per day.
“Nine out of 14 projects to extend the Skytrain network in Bangkok and its perimeter have been completed so far with a total distance of over 553 kilometres,” said Anucha.
“In the coming years, more projects are expected to be opened, such as the Dark Red Line (Bang Sue – Rangsit) in 2021, the Pink Line (Khae Rai – Minburi) in 2022, and Light Red Line (Taling Chan – Siriraj) in 2024.”