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PLOENPOTE ATTHAKOR & AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK
Blue Line train system developers have pledged to pay heed to the opinions of the people who will be affected by construction of the project.
Sithiporn Srisanga, project manager of BMTD, a consortium of consultant firms hired by the Mass Rapid Transport Authority to develop the train system, said people living along the Blue Line route are worried about land appropriation, particularly for the construction of train stations.
The Blue Line has two sections, from Hua Lamphong to Bang Khae covering a distance of 14km, and from Bang Sue to Tha Phra, which is 13km long.
Speaking at a public hearing held at the Bangkok Noi district office, Mr Sithiporn said adjustments could be made where station sites are concerned to minimise the impact of land appropriation.
"We won't force people to give up their land. There will be adjustments to ensure public acceptance," he said adding that further public hearings would be held for affected residents.
Construction of the 70.4-billion-baht project is scheduled to begin by the middle of next year. The Bang Sue-Tha Phra section, which is to be built at ground level at a cost of about 25.1 billion baht, is expected to be completed by 2008.
The 49-billion-baht Hua Lamphong-Bang Khae section, consisting of both elevated and underground tracks, is expected to be finished by 2010.
Some Bangkok Noi residents want the entire route to go underground, citing concerns about noise and air pollution.
However, Mr Sithiporn said it would be too expensive to build the Bang Sue-Tha Phra underground.
Building an underground route would cost about 2.5 times more than an elevated route of the same length, he said.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said he would today seek cabinet approval for bidding terms for the Blue Line and three other electric train routes worth more than 212.5 billion baht altogether.
The ministry was working out terms of reference for international bidding contests, he added.
The other three routes are the 73km-long Dark Red Line from Makkasan to Ayutthaya (55.4 billion baht); the 57km Light Red Line from Bang Sue to Nakhon Pathom (35.5 billion baht); and the 23km Purple Line from Bang Yai to Bang Sue (46.5 billion baht).
Source Bangkok Post Thailand