Thales completes delivery of ticketing system for Bangkok Blue Line, set to enhance 800,000 passenger journeys as Section 3 kick-starts operations
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Thales completes delivery of the Automatic Fare Collection system across 19 additional stations on the Bangkok MRT’s Blue Line.
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Thales is well-positioned to support rapid commuter growth, with ridership numbers set to double from 400,000 to 800,000.
The opening of the Bang Sue-Tha Phra extension, or Section 3, of Bangkok’s Chaloem Ratchamongkhon MRT line, better known as the Blue Line, marks the final delivery phase of Thales’ Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system on the line’s extension. This follows the successful installation of the ticketing system for Section 2, which was put into revenue service on 30 September 2019.
Thales was appointed by the Bangkok Expressway Metro Public Company Limited (BEM) and CH. Karnchang Public Company Limited (CK) in 2017 to implement the AFC system across 19 new stations on the extension, having supplied 18 stations on the original Blue Line. Within the scope of this contract, Thales is also supplying additional Gates and Token Issuing Machines (TIM) to increase the capacity of these original stations.
Designed to mitigate growing traffic congestion problems and streamline travels within the metropolitan area, the Blue Line currently serves a daily ridership of 400,000, with numbers set to double as Section 3 transitions into full operation mode. With the installation of its Gates and TIMs, Thales is well-positioned to support this growth and deliver a seamless ticketing experience across 800,000 passenger journeys.
A major player within Thailand’s transportation sector, Thales has been contracted for several notable engagements, with the most recent being the upgrade of the country’s rail network signalling system to European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 1 this year.