The Transport Ministry will buy more trains for the Airport Rail Link and build a new line from Suvarnabhumi airport to Pattaya.
Pakorn Tangjetsakao, acting president of SRT Electric Train Co under the jurisdiction of the ministry, said the company needs five more trains worth 3 billion baht to add to the eight trains it has currently.
The new trains will allow existing ones to go in for maintenance and cut passenger waiting times from 12-20 minutes to 7-10 minutes.
Deputy Transport Minister Chatt Kuldiloke said at least two trains worth about 1.2 billion baht would be ordered this year.
The ministry will also deploy vans and small buses to transport travellers to and from several locations around Bangkok to the Airport Rail Link at its Makkasan terminal in coming months.
Soythip Traisuthi, chairwoman of the State Railway of Thailand, said the state enterprise would spend 255 million baht hiring a consultant to study a new route for the Airport Rail Link, from the airport to Chon Buri and Pattaya. She expected the study to be concluded in 12 months.
In another development, the cabinet yesterday approved a request from the Transport Ministry for the Mass Rapid Transit Authority to borrow 72.25 billion baht from the Finance Ministry for the Blue Line and Green Line electric railway network extensions.
Deputy government spokesman Pakdiharn Himathongkham said 54.41 billion baht will fund the Blue Line extension from Hua Lamphong to Bang Kae and from Bang Sue to Tha Phra. Meanwhile, 17.84 billion baht will support the extension of the Green Line from Bearing to Samut Prakan.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/279693/more-trains-for-airport-link-new-route-planned
