22 out of 118 trains to still enter Hua Lamphong station: SRT
Nobody said that Hua Lamphong would be closed, Transport Ministry deputy permanent secretary Sorapong Paitoonpong said on Wednesday at the public forum “Future of Hua Lamphong Station: History and Development” organised by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).
“We only want to lower the role of Hua Lamphong station. Most of the trains are destined to stop at Bang Sue Grand Station,” he said.
At present, there are 118 trains arriving at Hua Lamphong Station, and from December 23, it will be reduced to 22 trains – 6 trains from the North, 6 from the Northeast, 2 from the South and 14 from the East.
The main objective is to help reduce 27 intersections in Bangkok and cut down on the number of roadblocks from 826 times a day to 112, a reduction of 86 per cent, which will help solve traffic problems.
Meanwhile, SRT Asset Company Limited acting managing director Trithip Sivakritkul said the firm was set up according to the Cabinet’s resolution, with the SRT holding 100 per cent of shares to manage non-railway SRT assets to generate income. As for the 120-rai Hua Lamphong area, there is a plan to develop it into a historical site, learning centre, cultural site and commercial area, which confirms that Hua Lamphong station will not be demolished, he said.
The Transport Ministry and the SRT will collect various opinions by December 23 for consideration.