BANGKOK, 29 July 2019 (NNT) – The Minister of Transport officiated at the trial runs of the MRT Blue Line Hua Lamphong – Bang Khae extension on which passengers can ride the extended route for free from today until 28 September this year.
The Minister of Transport Saksiam Chidchob today at 9:59 a.m. dispatched the first metro train to run on the public trial of the Hua Lamphong – Bang Khae extension of the MRT Blue Line, which is now accepting passengers on public trial runs from today to celebrate the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 67th birthday.
Passengers can now ride on the extended section between Wat Mangkorn and Tha Phra stations, with a total of 5 new stations, for free from today until 28 September this year, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. The extension is currently served by 3 metro trains, with an 8-minute interval between services.
Passengers travelling from the existing MRT Blue Line network, between Tao Poon and Hua Lamphong stations, will have to change trains at Hua Lamphong station to continue their journey onto the Wat Mangkorn – Tha Phra extension. Fares are currently exempted for stations on the new extension, and will only be collected for parts of the journey involving the existing network, starting at 16 baht up to 42 baht, or up to 70 baht for connecting journeys with the MRT Purple Line. Passengers can use their existing MRT re-loadable fare cards or fare tokens obtained from ticket vending machines for rides. Each journey will have a maximum time limit of 180 minutes starting from the tap of card or token at the ticket gate.
The Ministry of Transport, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), and Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM) plans to open the Tao Poon – Tha Phra extension of the MRT Blue Line in 2020, which will be the final section of the Blue Line network that will run in a circle with Tha Phra station serving as an interchange. The MRT Blue Line network will provide connections to other modes of urban transportation, including rail and water, providing passengers with a more convenient commute and helping to solve traffic congestion in Bangkok, and will be a significant milestone in public transport development to help improve the general public’s lives.
