Bangkok’s Green Line future in doubt: Will 20-baht fare survive?
TCC partners with Sripatum University to study post-2029 Green Line models
As the Green Line’s concession approaches its expiration in 2029, the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) is preparing to release a groundbreaking study to explore four potential operational models that could keep the popular 20-baht flat fare policy alive.
This move comes after Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt proposed a transfer of the Green Line project to the Ministry of Transport, believing that centralising management under one agency would streamline operations and ensure consistent pricing across all electric train lines.
Kongsak Chuenkrailat, assistant secretary of the TCC’s subcommittee on transport and vehicles, recently disclosed that the council is collaborating with Sripatum University’s Sripatum Legal Centre to study various post-2029 models for the Green Line’s operation and ownership transfer. The study aims to find ways to sustain the affordable 20-baht fare, which has become a popular policy among commuters.
The study’s primary goal is to provide clear recommendations for improving the Green Line’s concession contract, ensuring that consumers continue to have fair and safe access to public transport.
The findings, expected to be revealed between July and August, will first be presented to the Consumers Council and then submitted to other relevant agencies for consideration.
Associate Professor Sanyalak Panyawattanalikit from the Sripatum Legal Centre explained that while the Green Line’s concession ends in 2029, its management contract extends until 2042.
Preliminary studies have outlined four potential models to maintain the 20-baht fare: extending the current concession, initiating a bidding process for a new concessionaire, allowing the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to take over operations, or transferring ownership to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
The fourth option is particularly significant as it aligns with the BMA’s vision. Transferring ownership to the MRTA could ensure the line operates profitably at a 20-baht fare for at least 30 years, largely due to substantial revenue from the project’s properties and advertising space. However, there’s a significant challenge: the Green Line currently carries a debt of 37.2 billion baht from operational and maintenance costs, reported Bangkok Post.
With 2029 fast approaching, the study’s findings will be crucial in shaping the future of the Green Line and determining whether the 20-baht fare, beloved by commuters, will remain a reality. The public eagerly awaits the recommendations, which could have a lasting impact on Bangkok’s transport system.
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