Bangkok’s skytrain operator announced today that not only have 22 new trains arrived in Bangkok, they’ve also purchased 24 more trains to prepare for the extension of the Sukhumvit Line.
The 22 trains that arrived today, purchased from German conglomerate Siemens, will be put in use when eight new stations open in December, and will extend the Sukhumvit Line further south to Samut Prakan province.
BTS chief operating officer Surapong Laoha-unya today traveled to Laemchabang Port in Chonburi province to check on the new trains, each of which can hold up to 1,460 people — with additional space for strollers and wheelchairs — and go as fast as 80 kilometers an hour.
Surapong said that vehicle parts were primarily imported from Germany and Austria, but the trains were assembled in Turkey by Bozankaya, Siemen’s partner company, according to Manager.
The other 24 trains that Thailand has purchased, however, are coming from China’s CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles. It has not been revealed when those trains will be delivered.
BTS invested THB11 billion (US$33 million) on a total of new 46 trains, with the goal of extending Sukhumvit Line.
Beyond the southern extension, BTS also plans to open 16 more stations further north (Mo Chit – Khu Khod) next year. When all of the new stations are operating, the Sukhumvit Line will be 68.25 kilometers long, stretching across three provinces: Pathum Thani, Bangkok, and Samut Prakan.
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