Bangkok: The Cabinet has approved the consolidation of the Red Line and Light Red Line suburban railway projects into a single project for the Siriraj - Taling Chan - Salaya section. This strategic move aims to streamline procurement and hiring into one contract, effectively saving 1,671 million baht from the overall budget.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Anukul Prueksanusak, the deputy government spokesman, announced that the Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Transport's proposal. The plan merges the Red Line Commuter Train Project (Taling Chan - Salaya Section) and the Light Red Line Commuter Train Project (Taling Chan - Siriraj Section) into a unified project. The new project has been renamed 'Light Red Line Commuter Train Project (Siriraj - Taling Chan - Salaya Section)' and includes the integration of three additional stations: Rama VI Bridge Station, Bang Kruai - EGAT Station, and Ban Chim Phli Station.
Mr. Anukul noted that the Cabinet's decision was based on previous resolutions made on February 26, 2019, for the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to proceed with the Red Line project from Taling Chan to Salaya, with a budget of 10,202.38 million baht and an implementation period of five years. Another resolution followed on March 5, 2019, for the Light Red Line project from Taling Chan to Siriraj, with a budget of 6,645.03 million baht over the same period. These projects are extensions of the suburban railway system (Red Line) from Bang Sue to Taling Chan.
The integration into a single contract is intended to simplify the connection with the existing system, allowing both projects to be completed and operational simultaneously. The merger reduces the total budget from 16,847 million baht to 15,176 million baht, effectively cutting costs by 1,671 million baht.
The decision has been reviewed by various governmental bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Interior, and the Budget Bureau, all of which have expressed their agreement or no objection. The Office of the Council of State considered it within the Cabinet's jurisdiction to proceed as deemed appropriate, and the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) also agreed with the integration into a single contract.