Bangkok Taksin BTS Station to be demolished
BTS Skytrain elevated railway in Bangkok. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
BANGKOK, 1 June 2012 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has revealed that it will demolish the structure of Taksin BTS Station in order to eliminate the current rail bottleneck problem, which has been hindering the service.
Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, along with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials and representatives from Krungthep Thanakom and Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC), on Thursday inspected the Taksin Station, the only BTS station with one rail track which leads to bottlenecks slowing down train traffic as trains are unable to run on both directions at the same time.
M.R. Sukhumbhand elaborated that the BMA has submitted a letter asking the Department of Rural Roads to expand the Taksin Bridge to make space for construction of another rail track, but the department rejected the request. He said therefore the Taksin Station will have to be demolished to solve the problem, making room for the construction of another track.
The Governor stated that around 4,000 people will be affected by the change. He added a skywalk will be built in place of the station.The 1-kilometer long skywalk is expected to be equipped with a series of escalators, connecting Surasak Station with the Sathorn River pier.
The construction is expected to cost 70 million baht which has already been approved by the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. Once the plan is approved by the Interior Ministry, the construction will begin immediately.
National News Bureau of Thailand
