Airport Rail Link Gets 4-Month Extension from State Railway
CP will continue operating Bangkok's Airport Rail Link for four more months through January 2025, after which state railway's subsidiary takes over the service permanently.
Anon Pothnimdhang, governor of the State Railway of Thailand, announced that on September 28 the State Railway and Asia Era One Limited (part of the CP conglomerate) will sign a new memorandum of understanding for Airport Rail Link operations after the current MOU expires on September 30. Following negotiations, CP will continue operating the service for four additional months from October 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025. The new agreement will maintain existing terms with no salary provisions, operating on a revenue-sharing model based on passenger fares minus operational costs. After the four-month period, the State Railway's subsidiary company, State Railway of Thailand Limited, will take over operations.
The subsidiary company must prepare to assume operations and maintenance of the Airport Rail Link starting February 1, 2025. Meanwhile, the State Railway will conduct parallel inspections of trains and systems to ensure a smooth transition from private to state-operated service without disrupting passenger service. Anon stated the Airport Rail Link currently generates approximately 50 million baht monthly in ticket revenue against personnel costs of around 19 million baht covering approximately 300 employees, making the financial situation manageable. CP's current employees will continue under the subsidiary's management if they remain in their positions.
"The new MOU supports Airport Rail Link operations in accordance with the EECC board resolution, allowing private sector operation with a security deposit of 533 million baht," Anon said.
