No green light for soft opening of Red Line train service due to Covid-19
The soft opening of the Red Line urban train, previously scheduled for August 2, would be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a source from the Transport Ministry revealed.
The Red Line, running from Bang Sue to Rangsit and Taling Chan stations, will help shorten travel time between the city’s heart and urban areas to under 30 minutes thanks to the high-speed (120kph) trains.
After the soft opening, the train will offer the service free of charge for about three months before its official opening for commercial use in November.
“Due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, which has prompted the government to impose a partial lockdown and curfew in 13 dark-red zone provinces, as well as limit intra- and interprovincial travel, the ministry has agreed that the soft opening next month should be postponed,” said the source.
“The ministry will announce the new opening date after it thoroughly evaluates the situation.”
The source added that construction and all system installations of the Red Line were fully complete.
“The State Railway of Thailand [SRT] and SRT Electrified Train Co Ltd have conducted trial runs of all systems periodically,” the source said. “During the delay, they will continue to conduct test runs to make sure that the Red Line operates smoothly when it finally opens for public use.”
The Red Line urban train comprises two routes. The Bang Sue–Rangsit route is 26 km long with 10 stations with a total travel time of 25 minutes. The Bang Sue–Taling Chan route is 15 km long with three stations and will take about 15 minutes. The fare ranges from THB12 to THB42.