Red Line train fare to be reduced to Bt20 by New Year

The State Railways of Thailand (SRT) board agreed yesterday (Thursday) to cut the fare on the Taling Chan-Bang Sue-Rangsit Red Line train service to 20 baht, from a maximum of Bt42, tentatively by the New Year.

SRT Governor Nirut Maneephan said today that the fare reduction will cost the SRT about 80 million baht in lost revenue annually, which means that the SRT will have to seek compensation from the government.

Currently, about 20,000 commuters are using this suburban train service each day, which is 25% of the 80,000 commuters originally estimated, said the governor, adding that he expects the number of commuters using the service will pick up by up to 20% each year.

The SRT will submit the board’s decision to the Transport Ministry, to be forwarded to the cabinet for approval, said the governor, adding that he expects the new train fare to become effective around the New…