Railways unions oppose private investment in Red Line
Railway unions have opposed a public-private partnership (PPP) plan to construct Red Line links from Bang Sue to Rangsit and Bang Sue to Taling Chan. The decision to open up Red Line construction and operation to private investors was approved last week by the State Railway of Thailand.
The State Railway Workers Union of Thailand (SRUT) and State Enterprise Electrified Train Workers' Union (SEETU) today held a press conference to oppose the plan, which they said would delay the project.
SRUT president Sawit Kaewvarn and SEETU president Chitphol Promdontree said that State Railway of Thailand staff could operate Red Line trains and get the service up and running in 2021, as planned.
"There is no need to postpone the opening of train services, because it will not benefit anyone in the country," they said.
"To ensure that construction does not disrupt the planned opening date, the government should allow SEETU to operate and maintain trains in this project for the benefit of the country and people."
They added that the State Enterprise Policy Committee resolved on May 15,2019, to appoint the SEETU to operate and maintain the trains in the Red Line projects.