The new Purple Line, the first rail route to connect Bangkok and Nonthaburi, officially opened to the public on Saturday, with the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) expecting it to carry some 200,000 commuters a day in its first year.
The 23-kilometre elevated rail system is the fourth electric train line in the country, linking Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi to the Tao Poon area of Bangkok.
The new electric rail route was declared open at 3.19pm after Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn travelled on a train from Tao Poon station at the end of the line to Khlong Bang Phai, the first of the project’s 16 stations, where she presided over the ceremony to mark the official opening.
The princess granted an audience to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, his wife and senior government figures during the ride. Crowds of well-wishers, many of them wearing purple which is the princess's birthday colour, waited at the two stations to get a glimpse of the royal guest.
The MRTA said the service could accommodate some 50,000 commuters per hour and a maximum of 400,000 per day. However, it expects the route will serve an average of 200,000 daily riders during the first year of operation, with the total gradually increasing to 400,000 a day by 2019.
Passengers can connect with the Blue Line, or MRT, at Bang Sue station to go to central Bangkok, with Hua Lamphong the final stop. Free passenger shuttle buses will travel between Tao Poon station on the Purple Line and Bang Sue station, part of the underground train sevice, until a connecting rail line is built to cover the one-kilometre "missing link".
Fares for the Purple Line range from 14 to 42 baht. Parking areas for Purple Line commuters are at Khlong Bang Phai, Sam Yaek Bang Yai, Sai Ma and Yaek Nonthaburi 1 stations. Drivers will be charged 10 baht for two hours, or they can buy a pass for 1,000 baht a month.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn arrives at Tao Poon station to help mark the official opening of the Purple Line on Saturday. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)