Hua Lamphong station will be tentatively closed on December 23 as the Transport Ministry plans to move all rail services to the new Bang Sue Grand Station.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will eventually have to stop operating train services from Hua Lamphong station, as the land on which the station is located might have to be cleared to make way for commercial development, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Monday.

The land’s commercial development is expected to bring in 800 billion baht over 30 years, which the SRT needs considering it is currently about 600 billion baht in the red, he said before a meeting with SRT on the matter.

A subsidiary of SRT called SRT Asset Co will carry out the commercial development of Hua Lamphong station, he said, adding this subsidiary will also handle the redevelopment of other plots belonging to the SRT, including Thon Buri station, Mae Nam station, and the Royal City Avenue.

Hua Lamphong station, which has served as the city’s main rail hub for 105 years, is scheduled for decommissioning in late December.

A SRT source said rail services at Hua Lamphong will cease on Dec 23. The plan sparked outrage as Bang Sue Grand Station, which will function as Bangkok’s main rail hub from then onwards, isn’t as well-connected to Bangkok’s inner-city areas.

Source: Bangkok Post