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Bangkok Airport Rail-Link Sets Soft Launch For December 5 
Bangkok Airport Rail-Link Sets Soft Launch For December 5
BANGKOK,
Sept 5 (TNA) - The long-delayed Airport Rail Link project, providing
direct rail service to and from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, will
start providing free service to the public from this December 5 which
coincides with the birthday celebrations of King Bhumibhol Adulyadej,
said State Railway of Thailand (SRT) Governor Yuthana Tupcharoen. People
interested in free rides on December 5 may apply for tickets beginning
October 1 at either the Airport Rail Link office or at SRT headquarters,
he said.
Test runs of the system have been conducted since
February by Siemens, the manufacturer and installer of the rail system,
and no problems have been found. However, independent engineers will
inspect the safety system for the next three months and if no problems
are found, the system will be ready for operation. The SRT board has
also hired Deutsche Bahn International of Germany for Bt85 million to
train Airport Rail Link staff. The board exports to launch the system on
December 5.
The 28-km rail link connects Suvarnabhumi
International Airport and the City Air Terminal in downtown Bangkok.
According to a preliminary study, the fare for an express trip will be
Bt150 per person, while fares for the City Line commuter trips, will
vary from Bt30-50 per passenger. Transport for airport express riders
and local commuters will run on the same track with the same equipment,
but with a staggered schedule. Premium-fare express services will run on
the hour between Suvarnabhumi Airport and City Air Terminal, while the
City Line service will stop at six local stations along the route.
Meanwhile,
the Cabinet has approved an increased budget of 28.58 million baht for
the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport. This is in addition to the
original budget of 4.082 billion baht to make 4.111 billion baht. The
construction includes building, station and tunnel under the passenger
building in the Airport Link Project. The Cabinet has also approved a
loan of 4.7 billion baht for the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to
compensate the construction expenditure to the Airports of Thailand.Source: http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=11659
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