THAILAND: Plans to upgrade Bangkok’s Blue Line were approved by an extraordinary ceneral meeting of Bangkok Expressway & Metro shareholders on October 31. CH Karnchang plc has been contracted to oversee procurement of trains and infrastructure enhancements valued at 6·8 bn baht.
A proposal for an additional 21 three-car trains has been confirmed, and these will be ordered alongside 30 trains for the Orange Line. Signalling and communications equipment will also be improved to support operation at shorter headways.
The improvements are in anticipation of additional traffic from 2028, when the initial section of the Orange Line is due to open. The 22·5 km, 17-station section from Yaek Rom Klao and Min Buri will terminate at Thailand Cultural Centre on the eastern side of the Blue Line loop, the new line’s only heavy metro interchange.
On November 4 CH Karnchang plc announced that Aecom would act as project leader for the Orange Line western extension. This will run for 13·4 km from Thailand Cultural Centre across the city centre to Bang Khun Non on the western side of the Blue Line loop, and received governmental approval on July 18.
AECOM will design the twin bored tunnels and ventilation systems, track both running tunnels and extension to the depot, and 11 underground stations including related structural, architectural and building work.
