Pattaya –
-CP group has proposed moving the main Pattaya Monorail station from Pattaya City to Huay Yai
-This will not affect the project as a whole says the Pattaya Mayor
–The proposal would in theory allow easier connections from a high speed rail to the monorail
Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem revealed yesterday, September 4, that the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) who is the concessionaire of a High-Speed Rail Airport project had proposed for the relocation of the main Pattaya monorail station in the area near the expressway line 7, Section 7 of Banglamung district.
The relocation request was proposed accordingly to the contract of the High-Speed Rail Linked 3 Airport project that will connect three major airports, namely Don Mueang Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and U-Tapao Airport.
The national project is one of the major infrastructure projects to be developed in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) investment zone and will be taken up by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) through public-private-partnership.
According to the Mayor, Pattaya City has acknowledged and agreed to hereby follow the statement since the authority has been previously well-informed and been following up in the talks regarding the relocation issue.
The Mayor told Associated Press: “Stations at Pattaya would be modified, so the implementation of the high-speed rail project will require more studies and research to the city’s public transportation in order to move the station from the city center to the proposed outer area of the Huay Yai area of Banglamung District.”
“Authorities had already prepared for the change of the station location. We will also study and survey public opinion for a possible connection between the local transportation system, including taxis, songthaews, and motorcycle taxis.”
The relocation proposal is still disputable whether it will affect the light rail project in the long term or not since the exact location change is currently still under the authority’s consideration.
Sonthaya further stated: “The financial investment might be affected if the construction is moved further to the outer area of Pattaya. The construction in Pattaya or in the area of the city is easier and more convenient to operate.”
“All in all, the High-Speed Rail Linked 3 Airport project will definitely have a positive outcome on Pattaya City. The Pattaya monorail also has to be well-planned and developed for the possible development of transportation between further high-speed railway stations in the future.”
Meanwhile, The construction of the Pattaya monorail project is expected to begin in 2024. It will consist of four main lines and 22 smaller feeder lines for the Pattaya monorail system. The first priority for construction will be the Green line which mostly represents Central Pattaya.
Photo Courtesy: Sophon Cable TV Pattaya
