PHUKET — Work on a tram line connecting Phuket’s airport to the city is expected to begin next year and could be complete by 2023.
Theeraphan Tachasirinugune, Mass Rapid Transit Authority deputy governor, said Friday that fares for the 42-kilometer tram line linking the Phuket International Airport to Chalong Intersection in Phuket Town could be capped at 137 baht.
He said for over 34 billion baht has been budgeted for the project which would involve light rail and overhead wires.
The plan hopes to win cabinet approval by mid-2019, he said, adding that bidding would then go out in the third quarter for construction to be able to begin before year’s end. A concession would be granted to a private company to operate the tram.
Theeraphan said the service could launch in 2023 with an expected ridership of up to 16,300 passengers per day during its first year.
The approximate route anticipated for the future tram linking Phuket’s airport and town.
