Marubeni, Toshiba join hands for maintenance service of major Bangkok Rail Construction project

Marubeni Corporation and Toshiba Corporation today announced that they have together signed contracts covering the electrical and electronic systems and operation maintenance of the Purple Line, a new passenger railway in Bangkok, Thailand.

The contracts cover supply of equipment for the line and its rolling stock, and 10 years of maintenance service.

The Purple Line is a new 23-kilometer passenger mass transit railway line that will run from Bang Yai in Nonthaburi Province, northwest of Bangkok, through the downtown district to Bang Sue in the south of the city.

Now under construction, the line will be Bangkok's second mass transit line and is expected to start operation in 2016.

It is being developed by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme funded by Japanese government yen credits.

Ch. Karnchang Public Company Limited (CK), a leading Thai builder and infrastructure developer, is constructing the line, and it will be operated by Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited (BMCL).

Under a contract with CK, Marubeni and Toshiba will equip the Purple Line with rolling stock, power distribution equipment, signaling and control systems and telecommunications.

The rolling stock, a total of 63 cars, will be manufactured by Japan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC), a member of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) Group.

Under a 10-year contract with BMCL, Marubeni and Toshiba will provide maintenance service for the rolling stock and the Purple Line's electrical systems.

The two companies, with JR East, will establish a maintenance service company in Bangkok to provide BMCL with support and services.

The Purple Line will be the first line in the Bangkok rail network to deploy Japanese rolling stock, and also the first overseas project where a Japanese team will deliver long-term maintenance services for a railway line.

Marubeni has successfully delivered full turnkey rail systems in Venezuela, the Philippines and Dubai, and Toshiba has experience that includes developing the management system for Taiwan High Speed Rail, and JR East has expertise in reliable railway technology and services.

This team will contribute to solving Bangkok's traffic issue by providing technologies for the Purple Line.