Cancellation of Orange Line bidding unlawful, court rules

Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) chief executive Surapong Laoha-Unya, who attended the verdict reading, said that it had to be seen how the latest court ruling would affect the ongoing bidding process for the mass-transit project.

He praised the court for “ensuring justice” to the relevant parties.

“This court verdict should be regarded as a precedent for similar biddings. We don’t know if we are going to win or lose in the bidding. What we want is transparency, fairness and an accountable process,” the executive said.

The BTSC, which runs the Skytrain mass-transit system in the city, took part in the Orange Line bidding.

The 35.9-kilometre Orange Line, which runs from Bang Khunnon in the west to Minburi in the east, is estimated to require a budget of 145 billion baht to build.

The BTSC had taken the case to court against the Orange Line bidding selection committee and the MRTA, which issued an order in February last year to cancel the bidding.

The court on Thursday ruled that the order was unlawful and voided the selection committee’s decision to cancel the bidding.

Surapong told the media on Thursday that as the new round of bidding for Orange Line has different terms than the cancelled one, he wondered how the ongoing bidding process would be affected by the court ruling.

“We may have to wait for a decision by the MRTA regarding this matter,” he said.

In his view, the cancelled bidding is not considered conclusive following the court verdict.

“The court also pointed out that the new round of bidding can also be cancelled,” the BTSC top executive added.