The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) plans to review Hat Yai's monorail project next year, aiming to update a decade-old study to reflect new conditions and lessons from the 2025 major floods.
MRTA governor Gardphajon Udomdhammabhakdi said the review was expected to begin in 2027 and take about a year, following the enactment of a royal decree authorising the agency to operate rail services in Songkhla.
The Council of State has completed its review of the draft decree, which was being submitted for royal approval, he said. Once it takes effect, the MRTA will hire consultants to reassess the project's feasibility and design.
The review will cover engineering, technical, economic, financial and environmental aspects, incorporating the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organisation's earlier study. The 2025 floods in Hat Yai will also inform the design, with the aim of making the system resilient to flooding and enabling it to support evacuations during emergencies.
The original proposal envisages a 12.54-kilometre elevated monorail from Khlong Hwa junction to the minibus terminal, with 12 stations, a maintenance depot and three transport interchanges. The estimated investment was 16.186 billion baht, excluding the cost of procuring trains.
Mr Gardphajon said the MRTA would initially retain the proposed route, which follows major roads and passes key parts of Hat Yai, but would reconsider several elements to improve connectivity and control costs.
One issue is how to connect the monorail with Hat Yai railway station, which is about 500-800 metres from the proposed interchange.
The review will also assess whether a planned extension to Hat Yai International Airport, about 9km away, should be developed at the same time or as a later phase.
The MRTA will examine whether sections outside the city could be built at ground level rather than elevated to reduce construction costs.
The project is scheduled to seek approval for its investment and public-private partnership model in 2029.