PM Prayut set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless skytrain
Thailand’s PM Prayut is set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless Skytrain as he will preside over the opening ceremony of the Green Line extension and the Gold Line monorail on Wednesday, December 16. The Skytrain extension will travel from Mo Chit station through Saphan Mai station and ends at Khu Kot.
The Gold Line monorail, which features the driverless train, links to the Green Line at Krung Thon Buri station. PM Prayut will ride from Thon Buri to Khlong San District Office station along with members of his cabinet and the local media. The new extension and line will link people’s commutes seamlessly between 3 provinces – Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Samut Prakarn.
The Green Line extension adds 7 more stations – Phahon Yothin 59, Sai Yud, Saphan Mai, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Yaek Kor Por Aor, and Khu Khot (near Don Mueang International Airport). The extension makes the Green Line 68 kilometres long with 59 stops, and can hold up to 1.5 million passengers daily.
The Gold Line monorail’s first phase runs between 3 stations: Krung Thong Buri, Charoen Nakhon and Khlong San, covering 1.8 kilometres and accommodating up to 42,000 passengers per day, according to Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.
The line also marks the first automated guideway transit or automated people mover line in the country, which uses Chinese-made Bombardier Innovia APM 300 automated people-movers. The models, commonly used at airports to transport passengers between terminals, support speeds up to 80 kilometres per hour.
Originally, the Gold Line was not part of the extension plan, but was proposed by Iconsiam shopping centre officials to help increase visitors to the mall. The new Gold Line was approved in 2016.
“In the coming years, more projects are expected to be opened, such as the Dark Red Line (Bang Sue – Rangsit) in 2021, the Pink Line (Khae Rai – Minburi) in 2022, and Light Red Line (Taling Chan – Siriraj) in 2024.”
- 2021: Dark Red (Bang Sue-Rangsit) and Light Red (Bang Sue-Taling Chan)
- 2022: Pink (Khae Rai-Min Buri) and Yellow (Lat Phrao-Samrong)
- 2023: Dark Red (Rangsit-Thammasat University Rangsit Campus) and Light Red (Taling Chan-Siriraj)
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
