BTS, MRT fare reduction put on hold
The Transport Ministry under the leadership of the Srettha Thavisin cabinet will focus on promoting investment and reducing costs for Thailand’s overall logistics system in the first two years, the new Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Tuesday.
Only then will the ministry start work on capping fares for all electric trains to 20 baht, a policy promised by the Pheu Thai Party during the general election, he added.
This means that Thais can expect electric train rides at 20 baht by 2026 at the earliest.
Suriya was explaining to the press why the 20-baht train fare is not included in the policy statement to be delivered to the Parliament on Friday.
On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his team of 34 ministers and deputies attended the swearing-in ceremony at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall in Bangkok in the presence of Their Majesties the King and Queen.
The new cabinet is required to present its policy statement to the Parliament within 15 days of being sworn in.
Suriya also refuted the rumour that the Pheu Thai-led government coalition would abandon the 20-baht train fare policy, saying the government must focus on investment promotion and reducing logistics cost first. “This policy will require a great amount of budget but would also benefit several parties,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Phichet Khunatham, the Department of Rail Transport’s director general, said earlier that the department is studying two approaches for implementing the 20-baht fare cap on electric trains, but the final decision on which approach is best suited will be up to the government.
The first approach is to offer 20-baht fare cap to holders of state welfare cards only, while the second approach is to implement the fare cap for all passengers.
The department estimated the budget for each approach at 307.8 million baht per year and 5.44 billion baht per year, respectively.
