Bids for Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand station shop space ‘soon’
State Railway of Thailand wants tender done by November 2021
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is gearing up to accept bids for commercial spaces at Bang Sue Grand Station, which is expected to become a major source of revenue for the agency.
The agency’s board is expected to approve the announcement of the tender on Sept 29, said SRT board chairman, Chirute Visalachitra, adding the board had recently reviewed a number of details of the project and found them to be incomplete.
Officials and agencies concerned have been ordered to complete the missing information and resubmit them by Sept 26, he said.
SRT governor Nirut Maneephan confirmed Mr Chirute’s statement, saying the agency is gathering the documents and information requested by the board. He added that once the board approves the tender, the process will take around two months.
Mr Nirut said the first phase of the station’s commercial development will see shops offering essential services, including food and beverages, opened at the new rail hub. The development of shopping concourses and retail stores will follow in the next phase, he added.
However, if the bidding process is not completed by the time the Red Line’s commercial operation begins in November, the SRT will set up temporary food and beverage stalls at the station.
“The project will be carried out in phases, to reflect the number of transiting passengers and also subject to the availability of space at Bang Sue Grand Station,” he said, noting that a part of the station is currently being used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.
According to Mr Nirut, the development of Bang Sue Grand Station’s commercial spaces will be divided into two contracts spanning 20 years.
One involves development of commercial spaces covering 52,375 square metres (m²), while the other covers the development of advertisement space totalling 2,303m².
As for the commercial development of 12 train stations along the Red Line, he said the SRT is planning to include it into the contract covering the general operation of Red Line services, to give the project’s contractors more incentive to develop the spaces themselves.
The commercial space at 12 stations along the Red Line has a total area of 4,626m², plus 2,407m² for advertising.
Mr Nirut went on to say the commercial operation of the Red Line won’t start until a study on the public-private partnership operating model for the line concludes.
That said, he insisted the SRT is ready to manage the route on its own if no private investor expresses interest.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2184947/bids-for-bang-sue-station-shop-space-soon