Bangkok moves on mass transport

By 2015, the city is expected to have 236 kilometers of electric train lines and most railway crossings will have flyovers.

Work on five new projects will begin late in 2011 and two projects are already under way. Under its 10-year electric railway master plan, the planning office foresees greater Bangkok having a combined 391kilometers of electric railway lines by 2019. By 2019, electric railway lines should cover a catchment area of 525 square kilometers and serve 3.8 million commuters a day.

It is expected that all 12 electric railway projects for greater Bangkok will be completed in 2029. They will have a combined distance of 509 kilometers, cover a catchment area of 680 square kilometers and serve 5.1 million commuters a day.

In the meantime, Bangkok auto commuters in Greater Bangkok are being warned of horrendous traffic jams for the next three years as construction on at least seven railway lines gets into full swing.