PM Prayut expedites plan to connect Tao Poon station with Bang Sue station

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PM expedites plan to connect Tao Poon station with Bang Sue station

  

BANGKOK, 22 August 2016 (NNT) – The Prime Minister has expedited a plan to connect Tao Poon station with Bang Sue station across a distance of one kilometer, insisting that the government will ensure all parties will agree on a balanced term. 

Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd disclosed that after the National Council for Peace and Order’s order under Section 44 to expedite negotiations to select the private companies that will be overseeing the construction that will connect the Blue Line monorail system between Tao Poon station and Bang Sue station. 

On this issue, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) Committee had received suggestions from the National Economic and Social Development Board, State Enterprise Policy Office and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. 

The MRTA’s selection committee and the supervisory board of the Blue Line monorail project will then determine an appropriate time frame for the construct the connecting station in less than 60 days. 

The PMO Spokesman said that the Prime Minister asked the relevant parties to expedite all processes so that the project will be completed in a timely manner, and to prioritize on the convenience of the general public first.

 

-- nnt 2016-08-22

[Alive]

I guess this is the purple line connected that somehow wasn't built ??? Waste and bad planning.

[Crossy]

3 hours ago, Alive said:

I guess this is the purple line connected that somehow wasn't built ??? Waste and bad planning.

 

It's built, just not complete. I assume you've not actually visited Tao Poon station and seen the Blue Line structures in place.

 

Yes, the fact that it's not complete yet was bad planning, but it's on target for early next year, possibly sooner.

 

[Searat7]

Reading this article and another one expressing concern about low ridership on the new line makes me wonder if the MRT can handle the extra riders after the connection has been made. The last time I used the MRT they still had the same 3 car trains they had when the MRT started operation 12 years ago. 

[Thian]

Here in Nonthaburi nobody is happy with the purple line.  It should be connected to the rest of the skytrainlines directly, not by metro and sure not by buses.

 

And what about the riverboatexpress? The station at the Chao Praya is still a mistery, nobody knows why it is built. It's not even close to the riverside.

 

Mind you, loads of people bought houses in this area to live close to the skytrain but without good connections it's useless to them. They only use it to go to Westgate.

[Eric Loh]

Don't need a genius to know the connection is crucial for the success of the purple line and many articles in the mass media pointed that out. Now that the horse have bolted, the PM seek restitution to the problem. What a waste of public money. He should have the grey matter to delay the project until a solution to the connection is secured. Just speak volume of his competency.  

[williamgeorgeallen]

another claim to action. does anything he say ever actually get implemented and the problem solved? are the lottery tickets actually being sold at the correct price? are the deck chairs gone? do we want them back? are there any tourist left to sit in them?

[thedemon]

42 minutes ago, Thian said:

Here in Nonthaburi nobody is happy with the purple line.  It should be connected to the rest of the skytrainlines directly, not by metro and sure not by buses.

 

And what about the riverboatexpress? The station at the Chao Praya is still a mistery, nobody knows why it is built. It's not even close to the riverside.

 

Mind you, loads of people bought houses in this area to live close to the skytrain but without good connections it's useless to them. They only use it to go to Westgate.

 

Not sure what you mean about not being close to the riverside. The western end of Phra Nang Klao station is a few steps from the river bank and seems to have been designed with river access in mind since there is nowhere else to go from there.

 

However there is still no sign of a pier being built for the Chaopraya Express. Looking from the river I can see that it will be challenging because there are 3 bridges there with pylons at different lengths across the river, so maneuvering long boats in and out would be tricky. It might require the pier being extended a fair way out into the river.

[mtls2005]

Article 44 to the rescue.

 

Can anything get done now without invoking Article 44?

[Thian]

52 minutes ago, thedemon said:

 

Not sure what you mean about not being close to the riverside. The western end of Phra Nang Klao station is a few steps from the river bank and seems to have been designed with river access in mind since there is nowhere else to go from there.

 

However there is still no sign of a pier being built for the Chaopraya Express. Looking from the river I can see that it will be challenging because there are 3 bridges there with pylons at different lengths across the river, so maneuvering long boats in and out would be tricky. It might require the pier being extended a fair way out into the river.

 

Well i haven't been under the bridge to see it well but from above it looks like the station is quite far from the waterline. Why didn't they build the station closer to the water if that is the reason to have that station. Walking 100 metre in full sun is not what we like after all.

 

I guess there will be coming a very long escalator to the river?  Or maybe they will make the pier very close to the escalator?

 

People i spoke to also have no idea about what's being built, they even don't know about the new piers and boatroutes.

But whatever they will build it will be better than the Nonthaburi pier i guess which is a very filthy place. 

 

Will that Nonthaburi pier still be used in the future? There are still tourists using it but i wonder what they think of it. There's a huge market but without using public transport it's impossible to go there.

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Don't need a genius to know the connection is crucial for the success of the purple line and many articles in the mass media pointed that out. Now that the horse have bolted, the PM seek restitution to the problem. What a waste of public money. He should have the grey matter to delay the project until a solution to the connection is secured. Just speak volume of his competency.  

 

Of course if the original planners and builders had done their job properly in the first place, you wouldn't be posting about it.

 

He is trying to fix the original cockup from years ago that previous governments didn't bother about.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

another claim to action. does anything he say ever actually get implemented and the problem solved? are the lottery tickets actually being sold at the correct price? are the deck chairs gone? do we want them back? are there any tourist left to sit in them?

 

I have no idea of the price of lottery tickets where you live but in Khampaeng Phet and the rural villages around here they are 80 baht.

 

I can't help with the deckchairs as I have plastic garden chairs and very few tourists come to rural Khampaeng Phet. Best ask the TAT about them.

[sahibji]

7 hours ago, Alive said:

I guess this is the purple line connected that somehow wasn't built ??? Waste and bad planning.

at least they are now trying the construction of the section to close the open jaw expeditiously.

[sahibji]

3 hours ago, Searat7 said:

Reading this article and another one expressing concern about low ridership on the new line makes me wonder if the MRT can handle the extra riders after the connection has been made. The last time I used the MRT they still had the same 3 car trains they had when the MRT started operation 12 years ago. 

you are right in that the improvements have not kept pace with the increased demand on rider  ship.

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

 

Of course if the original planners and builders had done their job properly in the first place, you wouldn't be posting about it.

 

He is trying to fix the original cockup from years ago that previous governments didn't bother about.

  

The original plan has Rail connection to Bang Su. Failure in land appropriation was the problem. The completion of the Purple Line was under Prayut watch and he should have the smart to ensure land was available and the connecting rail constructed. He has all the power that no previous governments have. Maybe he was in too much of a hurry to finish the project to impress the public. 

[mtls2005]

Missing Links, and I don't mean sausages, are quite common here. Not sure two separate lines can be built without a missing link; it's probably written in to any contract?

 

SARL <--> Phaya Thai - that one just looked silly. Ten meters, invisible "Air Bridge".

 

MRT <--> SARL Makkasan - the resulting mess of a link which was finally finished probably only serves to "hide" more Pokemon Go characters?

[gdgbb]

2 hours ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

another claim to action. does anything he say ever actually get implemented and the problem solved? are the lottery tickets actually being sold at the correct price? are the deck chairs gone? do we want them back? are there any tourist left to sit in them?

Answers to your questions...yes, lottery tickets are sold at the correct price.   Yes, where deckchairs were intended to be permanently removed they have been.  Certain areas are allowed to have them.  Yes, there are millions of tourists to use not only the deckchairs.

[gdgbb]

4 hours ago, Searat7 said:

Reading this article and another one expressing concern about low ridership on the new line makes me wonder if the MRT can handle the extra riders after the connection has been made. The last time I used the MRT they still had the same 3 car trains they had when the MRT started operation 12 years ago. 

 The reason there are 3 car trains is because 3 car trains can cope with the numbers of passengers using the service.  When more carriages are needed they can be added.

[gdgbb]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Article 44 to the rescue.

 

Can anything get done now without invoking Article 44?

 

Does it really matter?  Things are getting done.

[williamgeorgeallen]

7 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

Answers to your questions...yes, lottery tickets are sold at the correct price.   Yes, where deckchairs were intended to be permanently removed they have been.  Certain areas are allowed to have them.  Yes, there are millions of tourists to use not only the deckchairs.

mr general is the man. sounds like he has all the small things sorted. time to move onto some of the bigger things.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

  

The original plan has Rail connection to Bang Su. Failure in land appropriation was the problem. The completion of the Purple Line was under Prayut watch and he should have the smart to ensure land was available and the connecting rail constructed. He has all the power that no previous governments have. Maybe he was in too much of a hurry to finish the project to impress the public. 

 

So why didn't the previous governments (who started the Purple Line) do something about it instead of leaving it. After all it was their plan from the start.

 

You keep blaming Prayuth for something that he inherited. I would agree with you 100% if it was something he started.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRT_Purple_Line

 

This Line is divided into two sections, Tao Pun - Khlong Bang Phai 23 km, which is under construction, and Tao Pun - Rat Burana, 19.8 km. The section from Tao Pun - Khlong Bang Phai was originally scheduled to be open in late 2014,[1] but is now due to open on 12 August 2016.

This will be the first Bangkok metro line into an adjacent province (Nonthaburi). The section links Tao Pun Station in Bang Sue, Bangkok, to Khlong Bang Phai Station in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi Province. The MRT Blue Line extension between the existing Bang Sue terminus and Tao Pun is constructed as part of contract 1 to provide an interchange between both lines. The Purple Line will be operated Tao Pun - Khlong Bang Phai, comprising 16 stations along an elevated route. The first stage of construction commenced in early 2010.

 

So if construction started in early 2010 that was probably under the Abhisit government but It would have been commenced under the PPP with either Samak or Somchai who were only in power for about a year. Abhisit and the Democrats were in power for about 2 1/2 years followed by Yingluck and the PTP for another 2 1/2 years or so. They were followed by the current lot for just over 2 1/4 years (my how time flies when you are having fun) so where would you point the finger of blame?

 

 

[gdgbb]

1 hour ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

mr general is the man. sounds like he has all the small things sorted. time to move onto some of the bigger things.

 

Your sarcasm is misplaced as you were the one that asked the questions about comparatively inconsequential matters.

[sungod]

The 3 car carriages are can no way handle volume during rush hour, I'm back to using motorbikes

[Redline]

6 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Article 44 to the rescue.

 

Can anything get done now without invoking Article 44?

Considering every single item has passed without fail since this new "government" you would think so.  I think using 44 only gets rid of all the permit and oversight issues?

[Crossy]

4 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

  

The original plan has Rail connection to Bang Su. Failure in land appropriation was the problem. The completion of the Purple Line was under Prayut watch and he should have the smart to ensure land was available and the connecting rail constructed. He has all the power that no previous governments have. Maybe he was in too much of a hurry to finish the project to impress the public. 

 

That's quite interesting Eric, just where did you get that little gem?

 

The Purple Line and Blue Line link structures were 95% complete when I joined the project, at the time the PM was Miss Yingluck.

 

Yes, there were land appropriation issues but they pre-date Prayut by some years.

 

The main reason for the link not being open right now is simply that an operating contract was not agreed in time.

 

 

[Denim]

The whole purple line was not researched properly from the beginning. Even when they complete the link to Bang Sue it will make little difference and the line will continue to run at a loss for some time.

The reasons for this are several but the main one is that there are not enough commuters to provide a profitable customer base especially considering that such commuters that there are have other transport options that are cheaper and go where they want to go without any change.

Another major problem is the price. If you go from Bangyai to the end of the line you will have spread spent 42 baht. Now you have to spend money on the underground to connect to the BTS at Mor Chit. Then you will likely have to spend another 30 - 40 baht to get to Siam Square. So the whole journey could cost you 100 baht each way. Peanuts to tourists but for regular commuters...too expensive.

To remedy this they will eventually have to sell through tickets for about a maximum of 50 baht that will entitle you to a single journey to any destination on the entire rail network using any combinations of lines.....a sort of rover ticket.

[MikeN]

4 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

  

The original plan has Rail connection to Bang Su. Failure in land appropriation was the problem. The completion of the Purple Line was under Prayut watch and he should have the smart to ensure land was available and the connecting rail constructed. He has all the power that no previous governments have. Maybe he was in too much of a hurry to finish the project to impress the public. 

From what I have read, the original plan was to have an extension of the Blue line, but the government of a certain former police officer/telecom mogul changed the plans completely so that it became a separate line, unconnected to the rest of the network. "Failure in land appropriation was the problem" ? Maybe, but they should still have had the common sense to overcome the problems and connect the systems!

So please explain how Prayut is to blame when he came into power years after construction was largely completed ? Was he supposed to tear down much of the track and start anew ?

[thedemon]

3 or 4 years ago I was coming home from a late night around dawn on a weekend day and saw about 50 police (many in riot gear) massed on the corner of Rattanathibet and Nonthaburi 1 Roads. There was a well known pharmacy business located there that held out against their land being expropriated for the purple line and were still operating their business with construction going on right next to them.

 

I drove past later in the day and the building was already halfway demolished. Apparently the landowners in Taopoon had more clout.  There used to be (maybe still is) a well known casino in that area. 

[Thian]

Last week i saw a documentary about the skytrain in a big city in China. They built it through a condominium and even made a station in the building.

 

It was the only way to build that skytrain since there was no space left.

 

Inhabitants of the condo's were given a very cheap rent plus a lifetime membership for the skytrains so they were all happy.

 

This skytrain is doomed if they don't connect it directly to the old green lines.

[williamgeorgeallen]

17 hours ago, gdgbb said:

 

Your sarcasm is misplaced as you were the one that asked the questions about comparatively inconsequential matters.

ah, no see you missed the joke as no one one really cares about deck chairs or lottery tickets. general needs to try to sort out the farming and manufacturing sectors before he starts worrying about small things that dont really bring happiness to the people.