PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya’s plans for three urban rail lines could face greater uncertainty if the high-speed rail link connecting three airports fails to materialize, Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet has acknowledged. Speaking at a Pattaya City Council meeting, Poramet said the city is continuing to develop its master plan for three urban electric rail routes — the Green, Purple and Red lines — following earlier plans for a monorail system.
The projects are currently undergoing environmental impact assessment (EIA), but Poramet said the progress of the Eastern Economic Corridor’s high-speed rail project linking Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports is an important factor for Pattaya’s mass-transit plans.
The Pattaya system was designed in part to serve as a feeder network connecting passengers with the high-speed rail service. If the three-airport high-speed railway does not proceed under the original assumptions, private-sector interest in investing through a public-private partnership (PPP) could be affected because Pattaya’s urban rail network could instead have to operate as a standalone system.
Poramet said Pattaya must nevertheless complete the feasibility studies and EIA process. Once the studies are completed and approved, the findings will be submitted to Pattaya City for consideration of the appropriate investment model before being forwarded to national policy agencies and the Cabinet. Funding sources and private-sector participation will also have to be determined before the projects can proceed.
The mayor said the current urban rail study also includes parking facilities for passengers who would switch between private vehicles and the rail network. Each station’s pick-up and drop-off area is expected to accommodate around five to eight vehicles, while large parking areas at the terminal stations are planned to accommodate about 400 vehicles.
Poramet stressed that the plans are based on information and development assumptions from earlier studies and that Pattaya must continue the planning process before any investment decision is made. He said the final decision on whether the projects proceed will depend partly on government policy regarding the three-airport high-speed rail project and the level of interest from private investors in joining the Pattaya system through PPP.
