"Green Line"

The Transport Ministry has summoned Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) permanent secretary Khajit Chatchawanich for a meeting at the Traffic and Transport Department on March 31 to discuss the BTS Green Line train dispute with operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC), a news source revealed on Tuesday.

The dispute over extension of concession for the railway Green Line stems from the city administration’s failure to honour its debt of Bt37 billion owed to the current concessionaire, according to sources in the know.

Palang Pracharath party-list MP Watanya “Madam Dear” Wongopasi said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that seven Bhumjaithai Party ministers who did not show up at the Cabinet meeting to consider extending the concession contract for the Green Line Skytrain should “ask themselves whether or not they should stay in the government coalition”.

Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Boonyamanee has sought two weeks to summarise details of the Green Line, as there were still problems with the installation of two steel bridges, before resubmitting to the Cabinet.

The Cabinet on Tuesday discussed the ongoing legal wrangle between the BTS Skytrain operator and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) over the Green Line extension.

BTS Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) is suing City Hall for 12 billion baht it is owed for operating the Green Line extension, BTSC CEO Surapong Laoha-Unya said on Wednesday.

The Constitutional Court on Thursday dismissed a petition calling for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to be disqualified from office for interfering in the MRT Green Line rail project.

The Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) is preparing to file a case at the Central Administrative Court against the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for repayment of the costs it had incurred running the Green Line extension, BTS director Surapong Laoha-Unya said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Monday postponed the raising of fare for the Green Line BTS Skytrain to a maximum of Bt104 for the entire route.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will make a loss operating the Green Line extension of the BTS Skytrain despite hiking the fare ceiling from Bt65 to Bt104 effective from February 16, said Praphas Leuangsirinapha, BMA's Traffic and Transportation Department director.

Pheu Thai’s Maha Sarakham MP and party deputy chief Yutthapong Jarassathian submitted a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday urging him to suspend the Green Line Skytrain fare increase to a maximum Bt104, which is to commence on February 16.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on Friday that the new fare ceiling of Green Line BTS Skytrain at Bt104 throughout the route is inexpensive and would be implemented from February 16 as planned unless stayed by the government.