BrazilBangkok hires consulting firms to support Grey Line monorail
The state government of Bangkok has hired several consulting firms to provide analysis ahead of a public-private partnership (PPP) for a new monorail project.
With the aim of providing Bangkok’s more than 9 million inhabitants, and more than 14 million (or 22% of Thailand’s total population) people living in the Bangkok metropolitan region, with better access to public transport, the capital city’s government is working on several mega monorail projects that will slash the travel time needed between key hubs.
One of the new monorails under construction, the BMA Grey Line, is a planned monorail line that will provide a vital north to south link in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok with other lines including the MRT Pink Line (under construction), the proposed MRT Brown Line, MRT Orange Line (under construction) and BTS Sukhumvit Line.
The construction is being split into three phases, with phase one being the 19-kilometre track running from Watcharapol to Thong Lor. The section will start from the Pink Line at Watcharapol Station heading southwards along Pradit Manutham Road through Soi Nuanchan to link with the Yellow Line at Lat Phrao 83 Station and the Orange Line at Rama IX station.
The line will carry on to cross the Light Red Line (Bang Sue - Hua Mak) to Thong Lor station where it will connect with the BTS Sukhumvit station. The second phase will run from Phra Khanong to Lumpini, with the third phase extending the monorail track up to Tha Phra.
Once completed, with planning suggesting that the full 40-kilometre track could be ready by the end of 2023, the BMA Grey Line is expected to service over 340,000 passengers per day and consist of 30+ stations.
In preparation of the public-private partnership that will manage the operation, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has hired five consulting firms to support financial analysis, technical analysis, and communications. The selected firms are: InfraTrans Consultants, PwC, TransConsult, Planpro and Daoreuk Communications.
