Route-side condos set MRT ridership on a roll
Ridership on the Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) system was bumped up 16.3 per cent to 220,225 trips per day last year, a rise coinciding with residential development along mass-transit routes and higher fuel prices.
Workdays saw a ridership increase of 14.6 per cent to 252,826 trips per day.
Bangkok Metro, the system’s operator, enjoyed an increase of 20.3 per cent in passenger revenue to Bt1.98 billion compared with 7.9 per cent in 2011. Commercial revenue rose 14.64 per cent to Bt290.77 million.
In its filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday, Bangkok Metro said its 2012 consolidated net loss improved by 15 per cent to Bt981 million.
Because of higher petrol prices, condominiums along commuter-train lines have become a popular choice. According to a survey by The Nation, condos launched since last year along the under-construction Purple Line from Bang Sue to Bang Yai are worth about Bt150 billion.
For the third quarter, BTS Group Holdings reported a 15.7-per-cent rise in Skytrain ridership year on year to a record 50.3 million trips, thanks to additional passengers when the On Nut-Bearing extension to the Sukhumvit Line was opened in August 2011.
Average weekday ridership also climbed 14.5 per cent to a new record of 608,564.
