BANGKOK, 4 March 2015 – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s plan to build a BTS Bang Wa-Taling Chan extension route has gained approval by representatives from the civil sector and different agencies during the first round of public hearing.
According to Deputy BMA Governor Amorn Kitchawengkul, the BMA will need to await the results of the feasibility study of the project. If it is worth the investment, private operators may be interested in helping the BMA fund the construction. If the study shows that the project is not lucrative enough but can bolster the capital city’s development, the City Hall will undertake the project alone by seeking funds from other sources.
The Bang Wa-Taling Chan route is the third route extending from Silom area. The project is aimed at improving the mass transport system of highly-populated Thonburi area and alleviating traffic congestion in the capital city. The Deputy Governor said Bangkok has to deal with more than 17 million trips per day, most of which are made by private car owners, leading to a traffic jam in many areas.
The construction is expected to kick off in 2017 and to be completed in 2019. The new BTS route should be ready for service in 2020. The cost of the project is estimated at 10 billion baht. Most of the people attending the public hearing approved of the plan but called on the BMA to study investment feasibility of each section of the route carefully.
