Thailand starts construction of monorail transit lines

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha delivers a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony of two monorail lines in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 27, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

Thailand formally started construction of the first two single monorail mass rapid transit lines of the country on Monday in a bid to ease traffic congestion in its capital Bangkok.

The construction of the two transit lines, Pink Line and Yellow Line, would take three years and three months. The lines are set to be put into operation in late 2021 or early 2022, Thai Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said after the groundbreaking ceremony.

The 34.5-km Pink Line, with 30 stations, and the 30.4-km Yellow Line, with 23 stations, can each transport a maximum of 28,000 passengers per hour per direction and run at a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

The Pink Line links the west and east parts of northern Bangkok while the Yellow Line connects the north and south parts in eastern Bangkok.

The government has been stepping up efforts to bring infrastructure projects into reality, especially the mass rapid transit lines in Bangkok Metropolitan Region, which is consistent with the 20-year national strategy, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Bangkok suffered from severe traffic jam and the government planned to build more mass rapid transit lines according to their master plan.

Bangkok currently has four mass transit lines, and nine lines or extension lines are under construction, three in bidding process and three more are awaiting cabinet approval.