THAILAND - Japan agrees to lend B84bn for transit

Bangkokpost.com, May 10, 2007

The Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) has given the green light for an 84-billion-baht loan to Thailand to finance three new mass-transit projects in Bangkok, according to Pongpanu Svetarunvra, the director-general of the Public Debt Management Office. ''Within the term of the current government, we can begin ground work for at least one new mass-transit route for certain,'' Mr Pongpanu said.
The government plans to invite tenders for construction of the new Red and Purple lines over the next several months, while work on the Blue line is expected to begin early next year.
Sansern Wongcha-um, the deputy transport minister, said contracts for the Bang Sue-Taling Chan phase of the Red line would be awarded in June, followed by bidding for the Purple line in August.

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