Bangkok’s long-delayed MRT Orange Line has reached a key milestone, with the first train set to arrive in Thailand at the end of November, as operator Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM) reported its highest quarterly profit in a decade.
BEM managing director Sombat Kitjalaksana announced the progress alongside the company’s second-quarter results for 2026. The company posted a net profit of 1,012 million baht for the quarter, up 19 million baht on the same period last year. It was BEM’s highest second-quarter net profit in 10 years, on total service revenue of 3,982 million baht.
The Orange Line trains, 32 three-car sets built by Siemens, are being manufactured at a factory in Turkey. The first train has completed production and testing in Turkey and is being sent to Germany for trial runs, to confirm its quality and safety before shipping to Thailand later. The second train is currently being tested in Turkey and will be the first to reach Thailand, arriving at the end of November.
Once the trains arrive, they will undergo around six months of system and operational testing before entering service. The eastern section of the line, running from the Thailand Cultural Centre to Yaek Rom Klao, is due to begin trial operations late in 2027, ahead of a full opening in early 2028.
Construction is also progressing on the western section, from Bang Khun Non to the Thailand Cultural Centre, which has reached around 37% completion.
When the eastern section opens, it is expected to carry around 100,000 passengers a day at first. That figure is projected to rise to around 300,000 a day once the entire route is fully open in 2030.
The full Orange Line will run 35.9 kilometres from Bang Khun Non in the west to Min Buri in the east, with a total project value of around 140 billion baht. It is designed to become one of Bangkok’s most important rail arteries, linking the western and eastern sides of the city with the central business district, and connecting with the MRT Blue Line at the Thailand Cultural Centre and Bang Khun Non interchange stations.
For BEM, the line represents a major growth driver. The company said the new route would feed passengers into its existing Blue Line, and framed the arrival of the first train as a step towards a significant jump in future performance. The Orange Line has faced years of legal disputes and delays, and the milestone marks tangible progress after a long wait for commuters in the Min Buri and Ramkhamhaeng areas in particular.
The eastern section has 17 stations, 10 of them underground and seven elevated. The route runs beneath Ratchadaphisek, Rama IX and Ramkhamhaeng roads before rising onto an elevated track east of Khlong Ban Ma.
- Thailand Cultural Centre (Blue Line interchange, western end of the section)
- MRTA
- Wat Phra Ram 9
- Ramkhamhaeng 12
- Ramkhamhaeng University
- Sports Authority of Thailand
- Ramkhamhaeng 34
- Yaek Lam Sali (Yellow Line interchange)
- Si Burapha
- Khlong Ban Ma (last underground station)
- Sammakon (first elevated station)
- Nom Klao
- Rat Phatthana
- Min Phatthana
- Kheha Ramkhamhaeng
- Min Buri (Pink Line interchange)
- Yaek Rom Klao (eastern end of the section)
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Photos: Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM)
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