Chadchart to approach Bangkok Council on repaying THB20-bn debt to BTSC

Chadchart was speaking to reporters after a meeting held between the executives of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and their counterparts from the Bangkok Mass Transit System Co (BTSC) that operates the BTS Skytrain.

BTSC chairman and CEO Keeree Kanchanapas led a delegation to meet Chadchart at City Hall to discuss the accumulated debt of nearly 50 billion baht.

After the meeting, Chadchart said the BTSC management wanted to consult him about the debt of 20 billion baht for the cost of installation of a controlling system for extension of the Green Line.

Chadchart said when the Bangkok Council holds its meeting in the next session, the issue of the 20-billion-baht debt for the controlling system would be discussed.

He said the city council should be able to make a decision because it has studied the issue for quite a long time.

The governor said he had sympathy for the BTSC, as it had to shoulder a huge investment cost for the system installation.

After all, Chadchart said, the BTS Skytrain served a lot of Bangkok commuters.

Chadchart added that he had asked the Interior Ministry, which supervises the BMA, about subsidy from the central government for the management and installation costs of the Green Line extension.

Chadchart noted that the government had assigned the BMA to take over the Green Line for operation without any subsidy for the costs of the installation and operations.

The BMA’s Krungthep Thanakom (KT) had to hire the BTSC to operate the electric trains on the extension routes, leading to huge debt of some 30 billion baht for operation and maintenance of trains.

Earlier, the post-coup government issued an order to convert the debt into a concession extension for the BTSC but the Cabinet of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha failed to endorse the order, leaving the debt issue in limbo.

Chadchart said he would find out from the Cabinet how to deal with the concession and debt with the BTSC.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Keeree said the meeting with Chadchart and the BMA executives had helped him get a much better understanding of the city administration.

Keeree said he believed the BMA was trying to tackle the debt issue. He said he expected to receive payment for the debt of 20 billion baht for the installation of controlling system on the extension route soon, once the Bangkok Council considers it. He said receiving the 20 billion baht would allow the company to have liquidity to continue its operations to serve Bangkok commuters.

He said he would like the caretaker Cabinet of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to speed up consideration of the debt of 30 billion baht for the operations and maintenance of trains on the extension routes.

“If the caretaker government can get this done, it would be the best because it’s huge money,” Keeree said.