Bangkok: New skytrain stations planned at Saphan Taksin, Sathon
The small Saphan Taksin skytrain station beside the Chao Phraya River is to be replaced with a larger one, with a double track, to end the commuter bottleneck across the river. (Photo: Patipat Janthong)
The final design for the expanded Saphan Taksin skytrain station, intended to end the bottleneck across the Chao Phraya river, should be ready by the end of the year, according to a senior company official.
Planning for another new station on busy Sathon Road is also progressing well.
The two stations, part of the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc network, are expected to open for use in 2019 and 2020, BTSC chief operating officer Surapong Laoha-Unya told Naew Naonline on Tuesday.
The Rural Roads Department, which supervises the riverside area, would be asked to approve the study and design of the expanded Saphan Taksin station. It will replace the current station, which serves only a single track that runs in parallel with Taksin Bridge and causes a bottleneck and long wait for commuters during rush hours.
Reconstruction should begin in March or April next year, Mr Surapong said. The new, larger station, with its double track, should be ready for commercial service in late 2019.
The expansion requires a 230m traffic lane diversion on either side of the bridge to maintain traffic flow, as parts of traffic lanes on the bridge will be needed for the additional rail track.
The estimated cost is one billion baht.
BTSC is also pushing ahead with a plan to build a new skystrain stop, Sueksa Witthaya Station, on Sathon Road between Surasak and Chong Nonsi stations, after the project was put to a public hearing.
The environmental impact assessment report is now being reviewed, prior to being forwarded to the National Environment Board for approval, Mr Surapong said.
The 650-million baht station is expected to take 18 months to build, and will greatly improve transport access for commuters working in office buildings in the area.
It should be ready to open in two years, he said.
AIA Thailand has financed part of the cost at 325 million baht, in return for having a direct pedestrian link between the station and its Sathon office building, according to a BTSC source.
