The light rail project planned for the Thalang district of Phuket has been derailed once again. Thai Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchop revealed the project will be delayed for another two years because it needs to be revised by a specialist.
The Thai Cabinet approved the project in the Thalang district of Phuket in 2016 and charged the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) to take care of the programme.
In 2019, Thai media reported that the whole project would cost about 42 billion baht, and 35 billion baht would be spent on phase one. The final plan and design were supposed to be concluded in the same year, with fares set between 35 to 40 baht.
The first phase is planned to connect Phuket International Airport to Chalong Intersection with 21 stations stretching over 47.7 kilometres. The second phase is to include another 16.2 kilometres to Chatchai Checkpoint.
The first phase was expected to open in 2024, however, some technical issues were found in the plan and design that needed to be fixed. So, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchop assigned a team to solve the problems.
According to the Daily News, hiring a new advisor for the project would push the budget up to 55.8 million baht.
An update on the beginning of construction work hasn’t been reported.