Skytrain operator threatens to shut Green Line unless City Hall pays Bt30bn debt

[webfact]

Skytrain operator threatens to shut Green Line unless City Hall pays Bt30bn debt

By The Nation

 

 

Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) on Monday handed an ultimatum to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA): pay its Bt30 billion-plus debt within 60 days or face suspension of Green Line services.

 

The debt includes over Bt9.6 billion in wages for operating the Green Line extension since 2018 and purchase of a train operating system worth over Bt20 billion.

 

The government is yet to respond to the BMA’s earlier request for Green Line funding.

 

The extension of the BTSC’s Green Line concession for another 30 years until 2059 was delayed for more than one year because government legal advisers said the extension may violate public-private partnership rules, while the Transport Ministry said the fare ceiling was too high.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30402118

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-02-02

 

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[geisha]

Maybe they are not as rich as we think ? Surely the government doesn’t expect Skytrain to shoulder all the costs ?

[RichardColeman]

I foresee a junta public transport coup 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

I foresee a junta public transport coup 

The next station is Mo Chit. Stand clear of the doors or you will be shot.

[kingstonkid]

And people want to know why the price is going up.   

 

Personally although I use the green lIne I think shuttting it down would be the best thing for the BTS to do.  That will definitely cause the government to take action and deal with the problem.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) on Monday handed an ultimatum to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA): pay its Bt30 billion-plus debt within 60 days or face suspension of Green Line services.

When push comes to shove....

[Nanaplaza666]

And here we go , ticket prices going up so the public can pay for the screw up of the government pocketing money for years . As happens in many other countries but here they make it look so obvious . Everybody here is paying for using the greenline as they should but where has all that money gone ??? 

[kingstonkid]

2 hours ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

And here we go , ticket prices going up so the public can pay for the screw up of the government pocketing money for years . As happens in many other countries but here they make it look so obvious . Everybody here is paying for using the greenline as they should but where has all that money gone ??? 

 

The money went no where it was not charged the issue was that the BMA although saying they would subsidize the difference never came up with a way to get the money to make up for the subsidy.  

 

Although I am sure it is going to make people angry this country and Bangkok in particular has been working on cheap.  It is time that they put on their BIG PERDSON PANTS and start acting like a city.  There is a huge amount of money that can be acquired simply by issuing proerty taxes.  

 

The taxes could then be used for things like pay raises for the police and paying the bills instead of whining and reneging on deals.

 

Unfortunatley knowing this system yes a lot will go into brown envelopes.

 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Incredible to me any operator should expect to make a profit on their investment. Hopewell found this out the hard way. Public transport should be free. Govt pays for the infrastructure & cost per user based on maintenance & operating expences with at least some fares free to certain classes such as seniors & students.

Edited February 2, 2021 by unblocktheplanet
addition

[kingstonkid]

18 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Incredible to me any operator should expect to make a profit on their investment. Hopewell found this out the hard way. Public transport should be free. Govt pays for the infrastructure & cost per user based on maintenance & operating expences with at least some fares free to certain classes such as seniors & students.

The problem is that public administrations have a bad habit of not looking after things.  Look at the subways in Toronto and New York along with the streets and roads.  

 

Thailand has the added problem of they do not bring in enough funds to be able to pay for anything therefore they have to privatize everything. 

[Sharron Merrilees]

19 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

The problem is that public administrations have a bad habit of not looking after things.  Look at the subways in Toronto and New York along with the streets and roads.  

 

Thailand has the added problem of they do not bring in enough funds to be able to pay for anything therefore they have to privatize everything. 

You don't want to go privatize its about 80% better than our's (I'm in NSW Australia), They did it to our's along with a lot of anything else all it causes is one 100% plus major stuff-up and we end up paying.People on here joke about the Thai Pollies, our,s are just one sick F_ _ked up. Oh I can get Chang down here now  at AUD$ 17.00 six pack. As soon as the boarders open vaccinated and no Quarantine on arrival I'm out of here, CM I'm a comming.

[pixelaoffy]

Hilarious! The BTS is a failed overpriced non functional operation