Pink Line monorail 95% complete, opening soon
The Pink Line monorail project in Bangkok is expected to be completed this year, with construction currently 95% finished. Construction began in 2016 on the 53.5 billion baht public transit project.
When it is finally opened, it will connect Khae Rai in Nontha Buri to Min Buri in east Bangkok. The
Pink Line monorail Is hoped to bring some breathing room to the constant traffic issues in northern Bangkok.
Beginning at Nontha Buri Civic Center Station, monorail trains on the Pink Line will pass through 30 stops along a journey of 34.5 kilometres. It will terminate at the Min Buri Station, linking to the MRT Purple Line along the way. When construction finishes on the Orange Line, the Min Buri Station will also connect to that.
Passengers will also have the option to use the new Impact Link branch line that links to several other rail lines from Min Buri station. It is also under construction and set to open in 2025.
The Impact Link connects to the SRT’s Red Line, the BTS Green Line, and the MRT Grey and Brown lines via three stations. It is currently only 10.5% complete, with 4.5% of the train signalling systems set up and 13.45% of the civil construction work completed.
The Pink Line, along with other new lines under construction, is hoped to eventually ease overwhelming traffic, while providing an affordable, convenient, and environmentally friendly option for commuters.
The long-time construction attempted a free trial run in December after months of construction plagued with disaster. At the beginning of September last year, construction work caused flooding in Nontha Buri. The flood, which was 50 centimetres high, destroyed a school’s equipment and classroom floors, and the school director filed a complaint with the police and urged the construction company to take responsibility.
And just one week later, a road in Bangkok collapsed as a result of Pink Line construction. A part of the Chaeng Wattana Road, near Central Chang Wattana, dropped about two metres and destroyed about ten square metres of the road at about 9.30am resulting in two of the four lanes closing while builders made repairs to the spot.
The Pink Line construction company, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, was halfway through burying electric cables near the spot when heavy rain fell. The hole wasn’t covered and flood water mixed with the sand, cement and dirt, causing the road to collapse.
