Thailand’s Transport Ministry is seeking Cabinet approval in principle today for a plan to place Bangkok’s electric rail network under a single management body, a move intended to replace the current Bangkok BTS fare structure with a unified 40-baht cap across all lines from January 1, 2027.
Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat announced yesterday that the ministry would ask the Cabinet to endorse a framework transferring management rights for all rail transit lines to the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) under a “single ownership” model.
Reportedly, the proposal is aimed at centralising oversight and supporting the government’s common ticketing policy.
The ministry is currently examining how management rights and operational authority for certain rail lines, including those overseen by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), could be transferred to the MRTA to enable network-wide control.
Siripong said the proposal would serve as the foundation for establishing a common fare structure across the electric rail network.
He added that Cabinet approval in principle was needed to create a cooperation framework among the relevant agencies.
A Transport Ministry source to the Bangkok Post indicated that if the Cabinet endorses the proposal, negotiations would begin with private concessionaires and the BMA to transfer operating rights to the MRTA.
The ministry has stated that the restructuring would not require additional state budget spending or increase public debt. Instead, it would involve revising existing concession agreements, with the MRTA assuming the role of the contracting authority from the BMA or other agencies.
The restructuring would also shift concession terms from a public-private partnership net cost model to a gross cost model, under which private firms would be contracted to operate services rather than collect fare revenue directly.
Officials have said the unified management structure is central to launching the long-delayed common ticketing system.
The story Cabinet asked to back MRTA takeover of Bangkok rail lines as seen on Thaiger News.
