"Akom" confirms that the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will proceed with the construction of the dark red suburban railway project from Hua Lamphong to Mahachai, which is part of a 10-route electric train project, seeking a budget for 2020 to hire consultants for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the area of the tunnel under the Chao Phraya River.


          Minister of Transport Akom Termpithayapaisith revealed regarding the news about the cancellation of the dark red suburban railway project from Hua Lamphong to Mahachai that he received confirmation from Mr. Worawut Mala, Deputy Governor of the Asset Management Business Group and Acting Governor of the SRT, that the SRT will continue with the project as it is part of the first phase of the rail mass transit system plan. The current project has had detailed design studies conducted since 2007 but is still undergoing adjustments. The expert committee under the National Environmental Board has resolved to modify the construction design, especially for the section crossing the Chao Phraya River.

          The dark red suburban railway project from Hua Lamphong to Mahachai is part of a strategy to develop the 10 electric train routes, which the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) has previously studied for feasibility. It proposed to upgrade the existing Maeklong railway from Hua Lamphong station to Mahachai district in Samut Sakhon province, covering a distance of 38 kilometers, which will eventually connect to Samut Songkhram province at Pak Tho station in the future.

          In the OTP study, the demand was divided into two parts: one plan to develop the railway to connect completely from Hua Lamphong to Mahachai first, and the other part is to develop the Taksin transportation hub to expand the service area of the suburban railway and mass transit system. The dark red suburban railway project from Hua Lamphong to Mahachai will be a commuter train with an overhead power supply system (Catenary) capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, which is faster than the third rail power supply system used in the urban electric train network that can only reach a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, making it suitable for suburban rail and allowing for longer distances.

          However, it is confirmed that the project is still part of the SRT's plans and will seek a budget for the fiscal year 2020 to hire consultants to review the detailed design and prepare bidding documents with a budget of 90 million baht to carry out new construction designs specifically for areas with environmental issues (EIA). The operational plan may be adjusted to design a tunnel under the Chao Phraya River connecting Hua Lamphong to Wongwian Yai first and construct at-grade and elevated tracks from Wongwian Yai to Mahachai. This project will greatly benefit the connection to the green line electric train project from Taksin Bridge to Bang Wa, the purple line electric train project from Tao Poon to Rat Burana, as well as the Wongwian Yai area, and connect to the blue line electric train project at Tha Phra intersection, resulting in a complete network.

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