“Suriya” confirms to move forward with all projects – 20 baht electric train – land bridge

"Suriya", Minister of Transport, confirmed that he will move forward with all projects, especially the 20-baht electric train policy and the land bridge, confident that the legend of the " 7-generation road " will be closed next year to push Thailand to become a "regional transportation hub". Mr. Suriya Juangroongruangkit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, said after taking the auspicious occasion to accompany Ms. Manoporn Charoensri and Mr. Surapong Piyachote, Deputy Ministers of Transport, to the Ministry of Transport on the first day after being appointed to the position and the new Cabinet with Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra as Prime Minister that in the past year, the Ministry of Transport has implemented various policies in the area of ??transportation, infrastructure development, upgrading services in the transportation system, and supporting the logistics sector, which is an important cog in stimulating the country's economy, in a complete and tangible way, which is evident and covers a ll dimensions, whether land, rail, water, or air, which is in line with the needs of the people and the government's policies with the highest efficiency to support and push Thailand to become a sustainable transportation hub of the region, supporting travel, trade, tourism, investment, and environmental conservation. Mr. Suriya confirmed that he will continue the various policies that have been announced, especially the policy of the highest electric train fare of 20 baht for the entire line. Since October 16, 2023, the Ministry of Transport has piloted the 20 baht electric train fare measure for the entire line with 2 electric train lines: the Red Line Commuter Train (Red Line) Bang Sue-Rangsit and Bang Sue-Taling Chan sections, and the MRT (Purple Line) Tao Poon-Bang Yai section, which has been very successful and the number of passengers on both lines has continuously increased. Currently, a working group has been set up to expedite the implementation of various details that will make the policy of the h ighest electric train fare measure of 20 baht for the entire line a reality for electric trains in Bangkok and its vicinity, all colors, all lines, according to the target in September 2025, which must be carried out in 2 matters: pushing for the draft of the Rail Transport Act and the draft of the Joint Ticket Management Act, which must be pushed to be effective before September 2025. 'I am confident that the maximum fare of 20 baht for all electric train lines will be implemented by September 2025 as previously announced. From inquiries with the Department of Rail Transport (DRT), it was found that if the said measure is implemented for all electric train lines from September 2025 until the end of the government's term, which is about 2 years away, the measure will require approximately 8 billion baht per year or 16 billion baht per year. Initially, the money to be added to the common ticket fund will come from the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which is the revenue share of the Blue Line electric train project, which is about 15 billion baht,' said Mr. Suriya. In addition, other sources of funds will be sought, such as the Energy Conservation Fund. However, if the joint ticket bill has not yet been announced, MRTA funds will not be able to be used to support the Green Line, which is under the supervision of Bangkok (BMA). For land transportation, for example, expediting the construction on Rama II Road to end the legend of the 'Seven Generations Road' and proceeding to resolve all obstacles to be completed according to the clearly specified plan, including expediting the M6 ??motorway project, Bang Pa-in - Saraburi - Nakhon Ratchasima, which has accumulated problems from many governments, to be completed until additional public services can be scheduled, as well as expediting the M81 motorway project, Bang Yai - Kanchanaburi, including in terms of connecting the transportation system with neighboring countries, the Department of Highways (DoH) has been assigned to expedite the construction of the 5th Thai - Lao Friendship Bridge (Bung Kan - Borikhamxay) so that it can be opened for service within 2568, etc. For water transport, the Marine Department (MD) and all relevant agencies have been assigned to provide Smart Pier services to promote the efficient connection of 'wheels - rails - ships' and to study the PPP report on the development of the Cruise Terminal on the Andaman coast and the upper Gulf of Thailand to be submitted to the State Enterprise Policy Committee for consideration by early 2025. For air transport, the Aviation Hub project has been driven in line with government policy, with the goal of making Suvarnabhumi Airport one of the world's top 20 airports by 2029, while airports nationwide will be developed to be modern and support the growth of the tourism sector in the future. The Landbridge project is currently in the feasibility study phase, preliminary design, environmental impact assessment, and model analysis phase. It is expected that the SEC Act will be enacted in 2025 a nd construction of Phase 1 will begin by the end of 2030. 'The government's flagship Landbid project has been confirmed to continue for sure. The government only pays for the land expropriation project, while the private sector invests. Many people are concerned about the loss, so it is a matter of people. In the past, we have been on roadshows in many countries and have shown interest. I believe that the run-up will definitely generate income for the country,' said Mr. Suriya. Mr. Suriya also said that the Ministry of Transport still focuses on safety in every project. Most recently, it has raised the safety standards during construction and set a policy to create a contractor's notebook to control safety quality. It has now begun to be used in the construction projects of the Ministry of Transport. It is currently coordinating with the Comptroller General's Department to implement measures to reduce the level or deduct points of contractors, leading to their disqualification from participating in the bidd ing for the Ministry of Transport's projects. -517 Source: Thai News Agency