Mor Chit bus terminal must be moved from its current location in Chatuchak district within the next year to make way for construction of a depot for the Red Line mass transit system, Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning director-general Chula Sukmanop said on Thursday.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has already begun construction of the Red Line train route, which the depot will serve.
The government is also considering where to put a new bus terminal for 14 routes providing access to Bang Sue Station, which will become an interchange station for different mass transit routes, Mr Chula said.
He said there are four possible locations for the new terminal – the cargo area of Don Mueang airport, Rangsit, an area on Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok Road, and Muang Thong Thani.
The bus terminal must be near to a natural gas pipeline, because more buses operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will be fuelled by natural gas in future, he added.
The Transport Co, a state-run enterprise under the Transport Ministry, will need to find new locations for its bus services. Only some short-distance routes will continue to be served by the Mor Chit terminal.
Mr Chula said one reason for the changes is that the SRT plans to close Kamphaengphet 6 Road from September 2014 for the construction of the Red Line between Bang Sue and Rangsit. The road is currently used to access Mor Chit terminal.
The Expressway Authority of Thailand also plans to build a new Sri Rat-Outer Ring Road expressway on Kamphaengphet 2 Road. It would be difficult for the public to access Mor Chit terminal when full construction of the two projects begins next year, he said.
Why on earth don’t they consider proper integration of the various modes of transport? The bus station and BTS / MRT Rail stations should be co-located.
The mess they have made in the past needs to stop.