New entity to be set up to oversee all electric transit systems in Thailand

BANGKOK, April 4 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Transport will set up a new entity to bring all mass electric rail transit systems in Thailand under its supervision for unified management and efficiency.

Thai Deputy Transport Minister Silpachai Jarukasemratana said on Monday that Thailand now has three mass electric rail transit projects in place covering 75-kilometer distance totally and the Kingdom's eight additional mass electric rail transit projects covering overall 236-kilometer distance are being developed for their full commercial services by 2016.

Silpachai noted that in order to facilitate and integrate supervision and management of the country's expanding mass electric rail transport systems for the sake of economic efficiency and their sustainable growth, covering network-expansion and ticketing schemes, the Thai Ministry of Transport will soon seek a Thai Cabinet approval of the new entity.

There are now four separate operators of Thailand's mass electric rail transit systems, including the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). (TNA)