Thai cabinet approves 82b baht Bangkok rail project

[BANGKOK] Thailand's cabinet approved on Tuesday construction of a 82 billion baht (S$3.16 billion) rail line in Bangkok, part of a larger infrastructure push by the ruling junta as it seeks to revive a sluggish economy.

It follows the approval last month of two new rail lines in the traffic-clogged capital, which currently has three Skytrain lines and one underground line.

The proposed 21.2 kilometre (13.2 mile) Orange Line will connect central Bangkok to the city's eastern suburbs. The cost of the project has been lowered by almost 14 per cent from an earlier estimate.

Thailand's central bank on March 23 cut its 2016 growth forecast for South East Asia's second largest economy to 3.1 per cent.

REUTERS