The Bangkok Mass Transit System announced today the scheduled October launch of the new 3-station Gold Line will be delayed until December.

The BTS CEO Surapong Laoha-Unya said testing on systems and signalling was ongoing that he was certain all three stations would be ready by the end of the year.

The unexpected news comes after earlier announcements the project was on track for an October launch following 3 months of testing with new Bombardier Innovia APM 300 electric trains that arrived in mid-June.

The 1.8 kilometre long Gold Line will connect with the BTS Silom Line at Krung Thon Buri with Iconsiam (Charoen Nakhon station) and Khlong San making up the total of just 3 stations with 42,000 passengers expected to use the new line each day.

Trips on the unmanned trains will be a flat 15 baht fare.

An extension along Somdet Chao Phraya Road will see Memorial Bridge added as a fourth station and is expected to operational by 2023.

Developer Krungthep Thanakom, the business arm of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, hired Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc – the operators of the BTS Skytrain – to procure trains, operate the service and handle maintenance work in a 30-year contract.

The public-private investment project hasn’t used any public funding as it has been bankrolled by Siam Piwat, the owner and operator of Iconsiam, to the tune of $62 million who kindly donated the line to the city of Bangkok.





