SRT subway line open to bidding soon
The State Railway of Thailand will proceed with the construction of the two subway lines it is in charge of - the Dark Red and Light Red routes- after the government gave the agency the green light to go ahead with the projects using its own budget.
SRT governor Chitsanti Thanasophon said his agency would start with the bidding for the section of the Dark Red line from Don Muang to Phya Thai. "The bidding process should be completed by the end of September," he said. The route will serve Suvarnabhumi Airport. Chitsanti said the SRT decided to open the bidding soon because the caretaker government recently decided to allow state agencies responsible for mass transit development to proceed with investment without having to seek approval from a committee chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. "The approval means that the SRT, which is in charge of the development of the Dark Red line, can disburse the pre-approved budget immediately," Chitsanti said. The cost of developing the Don Muang-Phya Thai section is estimated at Bt35-Bt38 billion. The railway agency has pre-approved Bt1.6 billion for the route, which can be disbursed in this fiscal year, which ends on September 31. Chitsanti said that the SRT would need to borrow for 80 per cent of the project. He added that the SRT would develop the remaining parts of the route and that it was not necessary that a single contractor build the entire route. The Nation
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