Kobkul Moatana, Director of the OTP regional office, said in a meeting yesterday (June 15) at Phuket Provincial Hall that the OTP has already received a B125-million budget to conduct a study for the new rail route.
The study is expected to begin this year and will take around 14 months to complete.
The OTP’s initial concept is to have the railway pass through the site of the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Mai Khao and Phuket International Airport, before ending at Phuket City.
In addition, the OTP is preparing to submit a request to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) for B30 million to do a new study of mass transport for the island.
Ms Kobkul said that the study done in 2006 was outdated. “Phuket has changed since 2006. For example, the number of tourists and various social conditions are different now,” said Ms Kobkul.
“So we propose a new study to match current conditions.”
The 1995 Joint Venture Act states that the Thai government alone may conduct studies for mass transit projects, in order to prevent the studies being done in a way that might benefit particular private companies.
The 2006 study was based on a system of buses. Ms Kobkul said the new one will have as its focus the much-discussed Light Rail Transit system, and will include design and environmental impact assessments.
The budget will be proposed for the 2014 fiscal year and the new study would take around a year to complete.
Quite how the light rail system might connect with the Surat-Phuket railway, and which parts of the island would be served by it, is not yet clear.