Bangkok Blue Line Extension Officially Opens for Full Passenger Revenue Service
Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company Limited (BEM) and CH.
- Siemens Mobility provided rolling stock, rail infrastructure, system integration, and will take care of service and maintenance
- Delivered and installed 35 new three-car trains, 19 new stations, and 28 km of additional track
- Extension provides greater capacity and enhanced passenger experience
Karnchang Public Company Limited have officially implemented full passenger revenue service for the Blue Line Extension. In support of this project, Siemens Mobility integrated turnkey services delivered 35 three-car metro trains, installed the signaling, built the traction power supply, developed a passenger information system, implemented a SCADA system, provided depot workshop equipment, and instituted system integration by incorporating the telecommunications and platform screen door systems provided by ST Electronics Thailand into the project.
In addition to delivering the overall project management, going forward, Siemens Mobility will also provide maintenance for 10 years. The fully completed Blue Line Extension adds 28-kilometers of track, 19 new stations, and an additional 35 three-car trains. The completed extension will now allow the Blue Line to carry approximately 500,000 passengers per day and seamlessly connects the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya river to the rest of the city which suffers from traffic congestion.
“The completion of the Blue Line Extension is a significant transportation milestone for Bangkok. The ability to now move nearly 500,000 people via the Blue Line provides the city with a key mobility resource to assist in managing its continued growth,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility. “Siemens Mobility was able to help deliver this important project on schedule by providing one system. It’s classic turnkey: because we are responsible for all aspects of this project, focusing fully on efficient operations from day one, and implementing perfect maintenance that guarantees unmatched availability.”
The initial Blue Line in Bangkok was also delivered as a turnkey rail system by Siemens Mobility in 2004 and was the first underground metro line in Thailand's capital, with around 320,000 passengers a day using the 20-kilometer metro line with 18 stations.
Siemens Mobility was awarded the contract for the expansion in 2017. In July 2019, the Blue Line started a public demo run on the first section of the extension from Hua Lamphong to Tha Phra - three months ahead of schedule. In September 2019, revenue service was launched on a key section of the extension, which included BEM operating new metro cars delivered by Siemens Mobility.
The metro trains delivered for the extension are an evolution of the ones used on the original Blue Line, most notably they can carry more than 800 passengers and operate up to 80 kilometers per hour. They were primarily manufactured in Vienna, Austria, and tested in Germany prior to being shipped to Thailand.
Siemens Mobility has previously completed three high-performance turnkey rail systems for Bangkok. In addition to the Blue Line, which has been operating since 2004, Siemens Mobility delivered the Skytrain and the Airport Rail Link. Furthermore, in 2016, Siemens received an order for 22 four-car metro trains to operate on the city's Green Line, which went into operation in December 2019.
www.siemens.com
