purple line cost 'can be cut only bt500m'

CKTC, a joint venture of Ch Karnchang and Tokyo Construction, has said it cannot reduce by more than Bt500 million the construction

cost of the mass-transit electric train Purple

Line project's first contract worth Bt16.7

billion.

The Transport Ministry and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) had targeted cutting the price by 10 per cent of the contract value, or Bt1.6 billion.

A source at the ministry said yesterday that the committee for the bidding for the Purple Line project, chaired by MRTA deputy governor Chukiat Photayanuwatr, last week held final negotiations to reduce the bidding price on the first contract.

The Purple Line will connect Bang Yai with Bang Sue. "CKTC insisted at the meeting that it could not reduce the construction price more than Bt500 million," said the source.

Previously, CKTC had won the bidding for the Purple Line project's first contract offered at Bt16.72 billion, beating rival bids from Italian-Thai Development (Bt17.9 billion) and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction (Bt17.1 billion).

The preferred bidder must be approved by Japan Interna-tional Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is financing the civil works.

However, the MRTA's board will consider the final construction price

proposed by the committee for the bidding tomorrow.

The source said if the board gave the nod, the MRTA would submit the resolution to the

JICA and seek to open bidding for the second contract.