Thailand to speed up new electric train projects

BANGKOK, February 4 (TNA) - Thailand, through the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), will speed up three new electric train projects. Caretaker Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt told journalists on Tuesday that he has ordered the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) to speed up its three electric train projects. Chadchart said he made the instruction while inspecting progress of the projects earlier in the day and found that the construction of the Purple Line under its 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th contracts is 84.97 per cent completed and 1.47 per cent behind schedule. Chadchart assessed that the Purple Line link should start its full-scale services by early 2017, noting that he also ordered the MRTA to complete a short link between the Purple Line and the Blue Line in Tao Poon area so that commuters can travel between both systems conveniently. Meanwhile, the construction of the Blue Line from Hua Lamphong to Bang Khae and from Bang Sue to Tha Phra is now 53.19 per cent completed and 0.15 per cent behind schedule, as it faces land expropriation problems in some areas and the caretaker transport minister, thus, ordered the MRTA governor to convince expropriation opponents and ensure fair compensation for expropriated land to let the construction progress. The Green Line construction from Bearing to Samut Prakan is 22.58 per cent completed and 1.91 per cent ahead of schedule. According to the caretaker minister, if any new electric train project faces a financial problem due to the caretaker role of the government, he will ask the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) to approve the caretaker administration’s appropriate acquisition of funds to proceed with the construction.(TNA)