Thai Transport Ministry inspect progress of passenger carriages construction

YOKOHAMA, August 28 (TNA) -- The permanent secretary for transport inspected in Japan the construction of passenger carriages to be deployed on Bangkok's Purple Line railway system. Their free tentative services are set to start next May. Permanent Secretary for Transport Soithip Trisuddhi and executives of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) inspected the plant of Japan Transport Engineering Co (J-TREC) in Yokohama City where the trains are produced. Three trains, with three passenger carriages each, have completed and wait for their two-week transport to Thailand. Twenty-one trains or a total of 63 passenger carriages were ordered for the Purple Line from Bang Yai to Bang Sue and all of them are expected to arrive Thailand within next January. Mrs Soithip said the MRTA and Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited (BMCL) would operate the trains tentatively free of charge for commuters in May 2016 and the Purple Line would officially start its public service on Aug 12, 2016. MRTA governor Peerayudh Singpatanakul said the Purple Line would initially serve 100,000 passengers a day and its fares had yet to be set. (TNA)