The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) has approved a 345-day extension for the Pink Line monorail project, the third such extension to be granted.
Department Highways Director-General Sarawut Songsivilai, who also serves as MRTA board chairman, announced August 2024 as the project’s estimated completion date instead of July 2023 as previously stated.
According to Sarawut, the MRTA board passed the deadline extension approval on May 18 for the initial 34.5 kilometers of the line. The impact of the pandemic was cited by the contractor, Northern Bangkok Monorail (NBM), as the main reason for seeking the contract extension was the impact of the pandemic.
Initially, the MRTA extended the project deadline by a year, setting the completion target for September 2022. NBM later requested a second extension of 290 days, pushing the new deadline to July of this year.
As of the previous month, the Pink Line’s construction progress stood at 96.43%. The monorail project spans 30 stations, connecting Khae Rai in Nonthaburi to the Min Buri area in eastern Bangkok. With a value of 53.4 billion baht, the project will intersect the Orange Line in Min Buri and link with the Green Line at Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Station. (NNT)
