Transport plan too ambitious, claim experts

Office of Transport Policy and Planning director Maitree Srinarawat said yesterday that this government was unlikely to be able to finance all nine routes at the same time.

"But it's possible that the government will begin construction on a gradual basis," he added.

His remarks came after the announcement of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday that he was giving top priority to mega-project development, including mass transport. One is the completion of urban train routes in three years.

The government of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had planned to create an additional 10 train routes at a cost of Bt550 billion before scaling them down to three. The last government changed the plan again to five routes worth Bt165 billion.

A Transport Ministry source believes the new government will not give sole top priority to investment in mega-projects but will also be concerned about developing other sectors such as agriculture and education.

He also questioned whether Samark's remarks were to boost the government's popularity.

Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand governor Prapat Chongsanguan said he was concerned about the stalled land expropriation for the construction of the Purple Line.

The previous government approved the route's construction and reduced the compensation amount for expropriation from Bt9.3 billion to Bt9.2 billion, which prompted opposition from residents.

Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation