Proposed New Rail Lines for Bangkok Await Cabinet Approval

9 May 2024 Richard Barrow 0 Comments

The Department of Rail Transport (DRT) is currently in the final stages of accepting the M-MAP 2 study, which outlines a comprehensive rail development plan for Bangkok and its surrounding areas. The study is expected to be completed by May 2024 and will be submitted to the Ministry of Transport (MOT) for approval by the Cabinet in June.

The M-MAP 2 study identifies 46 rail lines with a total length of 659.85 kilometers (km). These lines are divided into four groups:

Group A1: These four high-priority lines are ready for immediate implementation. They total 51.40 km in length and will have 31 stations.
Group A2: These six lines are considered necessary but require further preparation before they can be implemented. They are expected to be operational by 2029 and total 51.45 km in length with 41 stations.
Group B: These ten lines have been identified as having potential based on previous studies and passenger demand. They total 167.50 km in length and will have 95 stations.
Group C: These 26 lines will serve as feeder lines and will use technologies such as rubber-tired trams and electric buses. They total 389.50 km in length.

Group A1 is the top priority for implementation, and the relevant agencies are working to expedite Cabinet approval for these projects within 2024. The four Group A1 lines are:

Red Line Extension (Rangsit-Thammasat): This 8.84-km extension of the Red Line MRT is estimated to cost 6,473 million baht. The MOT has already submitted the project to the Cabinet Secretariat for consideration.
Red Line Extension (Taling Chan-Salaya): This 14.8-km extension of the Red Line MRT is estimated to cost 10,670 million baht. The DRT is currently gathering additional information as instructed by the MOT and expects to resubmit the project for consideration this month.
Red Line Extension (Taling Chan-Siriraj): This 5.7-km extension of the Red Line MRT is estimated to cost 4,616 million baht. The MOT will wait for the Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling on the Orange Line MRT (Bang Khun Non-Min Buri) project before submitting this project to the Cabinet. This is because the two projects share some of the same construction space.
Brown Line (Khae Rai-Lamsali (Bueng)): This 22.10-km line is estimated to cost 48,477 million baht. The MRTA is currently reviewing and revising the study results as instructed by the MOT. This includes analyzing the impact of the government’s 20 baht per trip rail fare policy and integrating with the Expressway Authority of Thailand’s (EXAT) North N2 Expressway project. The MOT has not specified a preferred rail technology for the Brown Line, leaving it to the MRTA to decide. The MRTA had previously proposed using monorail trains. The MOT has instructed the MRTA to resubmit the project for consideration by 2024.

The M-MAP 2 study is a critical step towards improving Bangkok’s public transportation system. The implementation of these rail lines will help to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and promote sustainable development.

Click here to download a PDF version of this map.