The State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) and Siriraj Hospital have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the development of a new medical building and its connected structures for the Light Red and Orange electric train stations.
The signing ceremony was presided over by Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith at the hospital yesterday. Mr Arkhom said the SRT's Light Red Line which connects Taling Chan to Siriraj, and the MRTA's Orange Line, which stretches from Bang Khunnon to Min Buri, will pass the hospital.
The hospital also needs more space to treat patients and the three organisations must work together to develop the facilities that would provide optimum convenience for people, he said.
Under the project, a 15-storey building will be built. The third to 15th floors would serve as a medical facility with clinics and patient rooms, while the first and second floors would serve as the hospital lobby, where people can reach the train stations for both lines.
The building will cost an estimated 2 billion baht and construction could take three years. The building design has been drafted and the hospital is awaiting approval for its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
"Today, traffic congestion is a problem for people travelling to the hospital," said Prasit Watanapa, dean of the hospital's faculty of medicine. He said the project tied to electric trains would make it easier for people to travel to the hospital.
The new building would be able to handle at least 10,000 patients a year, he added.
The terms of reference of bidding for the Light Red Line, which will stretch 5.7 kilometres, are being drafted.
The Orange Line, which will span 13.4km, has been approved by the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) committee. It is likely to be tabled before the cabinet this month.
