1 years delay until the end of 2015 instead of Dec 2014 or only 3-4 months delay into the 2nd quarter of 2015? http://www.thanonline.com/index.php?...te-&Itemid=478Originally Posted by Wisarut
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1 years delay until the end of 2015 instead of Dec 2014 or only 3-4 months delay into the 2nd quarter of 2015? http://www.thanonline.com/index.php?...te-&Itemid=478
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Re Purple line- first sector Bang Sue-Tao Poon.
is now also under heavy construction-the row of houses before the TescoLotus is demolished and there is a very steep slope from underground/Bg Sue along it-also front of the Siam Concrete factory-till it rises high over the crossing and then sweeps along Tao poon to make the corner toward Nonthburi. Along the BKk-Nonthburi rd. is really heaven for condo constructors-why not put a JPNese style tax on them to finance part of all that construction?
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That would make a lot of sense and many property developers are making a killing building new condos adjacent to metro lines. The more sensible idea would be to adopt the MTR model (Hong Kong) having one agency finance, build, operate and manage all mass transit and give them priority development rights. BTSC does that to a limited degree but really it should be one integrated govt agency running all transport in Bangkok.
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You you have 5 mins to kill to get an idea of the route. Though the stations numbers will have to be changed if the 4.5 etx from Bang Yai to Bang Bua Thong gets the go ahead.
Last edited by Yappofloyd; 29-02-12 at 03:05 PM.
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Calling for the decisions on the 6th contract - track laying of the purple line
http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/246721
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Jaruphongse Asking MRTA to implement 20 Baht flat rate scheme for Purple line Subway to be introduced in 2015
http://www.manager.co.th/Business/Vi...=9550000037030
http://www.thaipost.net/news/230312/54421
Last edited by Wisarut; 23-03-12 at 04:00 AM. Reason: Addendum
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One always has to admire the super efficient and non-politicised decision making process when it comes to mass transit in Bkk.......
MRTA deputy chief raises Jarupong ire, BKK Post, 24/03/2012
Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan may move to suggest that the Mass Rapid Transit Authority board suspend deputy MRTA chief Chaisit Khururat from duty by the end of the month. A source on the MRTA board said the minister was very upset that Mr Chaisit has failed to speed up the Purple Line electric train project, which is to run between the Bang Yai and Bang Sue areas, over the past seven months.
Apart from the possibility of Mr Chaisit facing suspension, the board might transfer another deputy MRTA chief, Ronnachit Yaemsa-art, who also serves as acting MRTA chief, to the post of MRTA adviser. The source explained that Mr Ronnachit might be transferred because he allegedly failed to push Mr Chaisit to speed up the Purple Line project. According to the source, on Thursday night, Mr Jarupong had a closed-door meeting with the MRTA board.
He told the board he was not satisfied with the MRTA's performance due to its lack of progress in several key projects, particularly the bidding for the sixth construction contract of the 42.8km Purple Line railway. The source said the delay in the bidding process was due to a disagreement between Mr Chaisit, the chairman of the bidding panel, and a team from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) which is lending the money for the 36 billion baht project.
Mr Chaisit disagreed with the suggestion from Jica that one qualified bidder should be focused on. The bidding panel meanwhile felt two companies should be considered, the source said. Mr Ronnachit, meanwhile, was unable to push the bidding process forward. As a result, the majority of directors on the MRTA board agreed that both deputy MRTA chiefs should be replaced, the source said. The source added that the board on Thursday night also agreed to replace Mr Chaisit with Pirayut Singpattanakul, another deputy MRTA chief, as chairman of the bidding panel for the sixth contract.
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Jarupong Ruangsuwan just want to fulfill the populist policy of 20 Baht flat which will be realized ONLY after the massive networks have become a reality but he and even PT leaders soon to confront the ugly and bitter reality within his own Ministry - state enterprises included.
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MRTA board axes acting governor for poor leadership, BKK Post, 31/03/2012
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand has removed its acting governor Ronachit Yaemsaard, the second executive head to roll in the space of a week. The board said he failed to ensure smooth implementation of its policies. The board, chaired by Ratchanee Treepipatkul, approved the transfer on Wednesday, the same day that MRTA deputy Chaisit Kururat was transferred to an advisory post, a board source said.
The board forced Mr Ronachit, also a deputy MRTA governor, to transfer Mr Chaisit first and then he himself faced a similar transfer, the source said. Mr Ronachit was also transferred to an advisory post. Kritaya Samitanan, the most senior deputy MRTA governor, was appointed to replace Mr Ronachit, effective yesterday, the source said. A majority of the board members agreed that as acting governor over the past 18 months, Mr Ronachit had not achieved anything in implementing the board's policies.
The construction project of the Purple Line electric railway from Bang Sue to Bang Yai, in particular, has been facing delays for months due to Mr Ronachit's questionable leadership, the source said. As for Mr Chaisit, he is facing a disciplinary probe for his management of bidding for the 3.6 billion baht track system for the Purple Line project. The Japan International Cooperation Agency, which funded the project, found only one bidder, Italian-Thai Development Plc, passed the technical evaluation, even though Mr Chaisit's bidding committee gave passing scores to Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction Plc as well. This has caused delays of several months.
Mrs Kritaya has been in a deputy governor's post for just over one month. Her appointment as acting governor had raised doubts over her experience, another MRTA source said. Ms Ratchanee's "meddling" with the MRTA executives' work had raised questions over the chain of command in the organisation, a Transport Ministry source said. The board should have looked into delays facing the Purple Line project to figure out if they were caused by leadership or problems with the work process, the source said.
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MRTA progress report for the Purple Line civil works as at the end of Feb, overall 41% done.
Contract 1, East (CKTC): 50%
Contract 2, West (ST): 40% (7% behind ideal)
Contract 3, Depot (PAR JV): 16% (6% behind ideal)
Delays primarily due to last years floods; http://www.mrta.co.th/news/overall%2...ess2-29-12.pdf
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PURPLE LINE: ITD closer to Purple Line contract, The Nation May 17, 2012
Italian-Thai Development steps closer to win the Purple Line's trackworks contract worth over Bt3 billion, on the confirmation from financier Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) that its competitor - Sino-Thai and ASV Joint Venture - is disqualified. The contract for the 23-km trackwork from Bang Yai to Bang Sue has been delayed for over a year, believed to be a cause of conflicts among top executives at Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA).
Peerayuth Singpatanakul, a deputy governor of MRTA as chairman of the trackwork contract bidding committee, said yesterday that Jica has confirmed that Sino-Thai and ASV Joint Venture is disqualified and that the Thai agency should proceed with the consideration of ITD’s financial proposal. At the meeting on May 11, the bidding committee resolved to follow Jica’s advice. This decision would be notified to the MRTA board of directors at today’s meeting, he said.
This is the sixth contract of the Purple Line. It was announced on May 18, 2011 that only two companies bid for the contract. The signing was originally extended to take place within July for construction in November in the same year. From altogether eight contracts, all have been awarded, except this. It remains unclear why MRTA has delayed the decision to proceed with the bidding and had to seek Jica's opinions twice. It is now feared that the cost of the project would rise, particularly when construction materials prices are going up after last year's floods. MRTA sets the median price for this contract at Bt3.663 billion.
In a letter from Jica to MRTA obtained by The Nation, the Japanese agency said "We are pleased to confirm that Sino-Thai and ASV Joint Venture is disqualified as previously notified to you through our letter dated October 12, 2011… Even though only one bidder (Italian-Thai Development) is technically qualified, it is considered that competition is regarded as existing, and in such a situation, the Envelope No. 3 (financial proposal) of Italian-Thai Development should be opened as soon as possible.
Chief representative Kazuhiro Yoneda also referred to a similar case in the past concerning a government project, which was also funded by the agency. Then, the project received only one bid, but considering that the project was open to bids and that competition existed, the signing took place. "The delay of trackworks contract execution may cause the increasing of government's financial burden incurred, eg commitment charge as well as may affect to other project contracts such as M&E contracts. Therefore, these impacts are not advantage to MRTA and other parties concerned in terms of cost and time. "Your prompt decision on this matter would be highly appreciated in order to avoid any delay of execution of the contract."
The delay followed the opinion of the bidding committee, then chaired by MRTA deputy governor Chaiyasit Khururat, that both ITD and Sino-Thai consortium passed the technical test. Jica later said ITD was the only bidder qualified on the technical front. Jica’s opinion encouraged then acting governor Ronnachit Yaemsa-art to set up a disciplinary committee to investigate Chaiyasit. The MRTA later ruled that to avoid conflict of interest, as both Ronnachit and Chaiyasit were running for MRTA’s presidency, they were appointed advisors instead. Chaiyasit’s role in the bidding committee was also transferred to Peerayuth.
Chaiyasit dropped his application for the presidency. Though the MRTA board later approved his presidency, the Transport Ministry has not yet sought the Cabinet’s approval, pending for the disciplinary committee's investigation. The wrangling has been criticised as a factor to have delayed the sixth contract.
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MRTA in talks with Ital-Thai for decreased bidding price, The Nation May 30, 2012
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand is entering negotiations with Italian-Thai Development with a view to the company lowering the bid price for the Purple Line's sixth contract from Bt4.14 billion. The current bid price is higher than the median price of Bt3.66 billion. Expecting negotiations to be completed in two weeks, MRTA acting governor Kritiya Sumitnand yesterday said that if Ital-Thai refused to lower its price, she would submit the current bid for Cabinet approval.
Of the eight contracts for the Purple Line electric-train route, the sixth is the only one that has not yet been awarded. The contract signing was expected last July, but the MRTA has delayed the consideration process given that Ital-Thai was the only qualified bidder in the first round. Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction was disqualified. Left with just one bidder, the MRTA has questioned whether the contract-awarding process could be challenged on legal grounds. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is financing the Purple Line, confirmed in October and April that Ital-Thai was a qualified bidder and that the MRTA must open its financial bid as soon as possible, so that the contract could be signed and further repercussions, such as increasing costs, avoided.
An MRTA source said he expected the board would call on Ital-Thai to negotiate a discount to get the final bid more in line with the limit set by the agency. However, if the company refuses to adjust its bid price, or if any offered reduction is too small, the board will forward the final bid to the Cabinet for ministers either to accept the price or terminate the bidding process, he said. In either case, the setback would further complicate the construction of the Purple Line, because the tender has already been delayed for almost a year. Because of the continued delay, the MRTA has had to pay a commitment fee to the JICA, amounting to 0.1 per cent of the loan allocated but not yet drawn upon.
In fact, the source said the rail-work construction for the sixth contract should have had a higher median price. However, the government had transferred some of the budget for the whole project to Ch Karnchang and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, which won the bidding for the first and second contracts respectively, to upgrade the construction work. As a result, the budget for the sixth contract was trimmed, too.
The budget for the entire Purple Line project is set at Bt36 billion. Because of the budget transfer, the money available for the last contract to be signed is now only Bt3.66 billion. The source also said that if Ital-Thai offered a reduction in its bid price to meet the initial maximum level, it could result in a reduction in the specified quality of the rail work, which might cause problems in the long run. The MRTA already has to pay a delay fee to the contractors for the first and second contracts, whose construction work is complete but which are now merely waiting for the rails, which are not yet ready. "The problems surrounding the Purple Line reflect the failure of the MRTA management and the political interference of the MRTA board," the source said. "Apart from the increased budget burden, the work might not get done as per the quality specifications that were requested at the outset. All these preventable delays have meant that the government has had to pay a commitment fee to the JICA and delay penalties to existing contractors."
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Progress of construction as of the end of April said to be at just under 44% according to MRTA;
http://www.mrta-purpleline.com/progress
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Civil Works for Purple line is 65% done and Purple line from Bangsue to Bang Yai will be opened in October 2015 while Blue Ring across City Center and Chao Phraya river will be opened in 2017 - in line with the construction of Pak Nam extension of Green line from Bearing to Samut Prakarn (Pak Nam) ...
Purple line consisted of 2 sections with 32 stations and a price tag of 126.620 Billion Baht (4.221 Billion US Dollars) -
1. Bangsue - Bang Yai - 23 km - 16 stations - ready to accept the daily number of passengers at 96,600 passengers a day in the first year
2. Bangsue - Ratboorana - 19.8 km - 16 stations
http://manager.co.th/Business/ViewNe...=9550000095894
Last edited by Wisarut; 07-08-12 at 01:18 PM. Reason: correcting
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It seems pretty steep for $180 million per km ( or $290 million per mile) for Civil work.
Because it's all elevated guideway, similar to the BTS, I'm wondering how it is compared with the cost of the BTS line.
The alignment of the Purple Line seems located in more open and less congested area than the BTS's, I would suspect that it would be less expensive than the BTS.
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