BEM wins 140 billion baht Orange Line western route project

Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM) received Cabinet approval to kick off the Orange Line’s western route project, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke announced yesterday.

The Orange Line transit system will link the Bang Khun Non-district with the Min Buri district via a 35.9-kilometre network of underground and elevated rail sections. This includes a 13.4-kilometre western route from Bang Khun Non to the Thailand Cultural Centre and a 22.4-kilometre eastern route from the Cultural Centre to Suwinthawongse in Min Buri district.

While construction of the eastern section has already concluded, with trains expected to be operational by January 2028, the western project has been delayed. The delay stemmed from a conflict between Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) over bidding for the system’s concessionaires.

The Supreme Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by BTSC against MRTA on June 12. The court ruled that MRTA’s bidding committee acted within legal bounds when revising the terms of reference (ToR). Following the court’s decision, BEM, which operates the MRT Blue and Purple lines, was granted the concession to operate the Orange Line.

Chai Wacharonke stated that BEM secured the project by proposing to require less state financial support compared to its competitor, Italian-Thai Development (ITD).

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit confirmed that the government would sign a contract with BEM tomorrow, agreeing to a 140-billion-baht (US$ 4 billion) investment under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)-Net-Cost investment model, reported Bangkok Post.

“The contract will be effective for 30 years, and the western section is slated for completion by 2030.

In related news, the Supreme Administrative Court has upheld a previous ruling by the Central Administrative Court, greenlighting the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRT) to ink a deal with Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company (BEM) for the Orange Line extension from Bang Khun Non to Min Buri.