Thailand to spend over US$19 billion for six more MRT rail lines

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) of Thailand is to make immediate plans to develop six additional mass rapid transit (MRT) rail lines that should be operational by 2020. The lines will measure a length of 200 kilometres and entail US$19.16 billion in combined investments. The move was spurred by a forecast that suggests some three million passengers a day will use the MRT rail system in Bangkok by 2020.
August 24, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 6449 Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) of Thailand is to make immediate plans to develop six additional mass rapid transit (MRT) rail lines that should be operational by 2020. The lines will measure a length of 200 kilometres and entail US$19.16 billion in combined investments. The move was spurred by a forecast that suggests some three million passengers a day will use the MRT rail system in Bangkok by 2020.

Currently, commuter rail users take up a mere 10 per cent of the overall mass-transit system in Greater Bangkok due to the limited number of lines. MRTA's Governor, Yongsit Rojsrikul, says it would be able to reach break-even point faster as a result of the new proposed lines and increasing volume of users. In order to lower the investment cost of the government, MRTA planned to use sites along its routes to churn out additional income. Having been set up some 20 years ago, MRTA only has a single 20-km electric line.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • South Korea company wins contracts in Nepal
    March 23, 2012
    The South-Korean company Chungsuk Engineering has been awarded a contract to prepare the DPR for 136 km of the Bardibas-Simara-Birgunj section of the proposed Nepal's East-West electric Railway, writes Ram Krishna Wagle from Nepal.
    Read More
  • Europe spends €112 billion per year on fossil fuels despite Phase-out plans
    September 29, 2017
    The European Governments and EU are subsidising €112 billion each year for the production and consumption of fossil fuels, claims a new report from the Overseas Development Institute and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe – violating the Paris Agreement’s phase-out plan 2020. The report, Phase-Out 2020: Monitoring Europe’s fossil fuel subsidies (PH20202) gathered the information from 11 European countries between 2014 – 2016.
    Read More
  • Will driverless cars increase reliance on roads?
    February 29, 2016
    Researchers warn that driverless vehicles could intensify car use, reducing or even eliminating promised energy savings and environmental benefits. Development of autonomous driving systems has accelerated rapidly since the unveiling of Google’s driverless car in 2012, and energy efficiency due to improved traffic flow has been touted as one of the technology’s key advantages. However, new research by scientists from the University of Leeds, University of Washington and Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
    Read More
  • Debating the future development of ANPR
    July 31, 2012
    What future is there for automatic number plate recognition? Will it be supplanted by electronic vehicle identification, or will continuing development maintain the technology's relevance? In recent years, digitisation and IP-based communication networks have allowed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to achieve ever-greater utility and a commensurate increase in deployments. But where does the technology go next - indeed, does it have a future in the face of the increasing use of, for instance, Dedi
    Read More

Highlighted Content