Light rail plans revised amid safety concerns

PHUKET: Plans for Phuket’s multi-billion-baht light rail project are being revised again to ensure better safety for motorists using the roads running alongside the proposed track routes, it was announced last week.

The Highways Department, under the Ministry of Transport, has requested that the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTPP) modify the numerous level crossings planned along the route between Phuket International Airport and Phuket Town to reduce the possibility of accidents at intersections.

Initial plans for level crossings with barriers along the route were subsequently scrapped, forcing the OTPP to come up with new plans for underpasses instead.

“There will be several underpasses along the route, but we can’t say at this moment exactly how many crossings there will be. We presented the plans to the Ministry of Transportation several weeks ago, but it was only last week that the Highways Department ordered us to change plans for the crossings,” said project manager and OTPP secretary Sirigate Apirat.

“At this stage, we are considering blocking off some of the smaller crossings and building underpasses for road users,” said Mr Sirigate.

Mr Sirigate expects the revised plans to be approved by the Ministry of Transportation by the end of the month, if no other changes need to be made.

Meanwhile, the plans will be simultaneously submitted to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The EIA is expected to take about one year to complete, after which construction can begin, Mr Sirigate said.

— Chutharat Plerin