Lavalin Skytrain () is a cancelled rapid transit in Bangkok, planned since 1984 during

Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda (, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 1980 to 1988. During Prem’s tenure as prime minister, he was credited with end ...

reign as prime minister. It was to have been operated by Lavalin (SNC-Lavalin), a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

firm, which built the Skytrain system in

Vancouver, Canada Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Me ...

and two short lines in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. The BTS Skytrain was eventually built by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

, while

Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Inc. () is a Canadian aerospace manufacturer that produces business jets. Headquartered in Montreal, the company was founded in 1942 by Joseph-Armand Bombardier to market his snowmobiles, and it later became one of the world's big ...

, successor of Lavalin, eventually landed an order in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, the 29 km

Kelana Jaya line The LRT Kelana Jaya Line is a medium-capacity light rapid transit (LRT) line and the first fully automated and driverless rail system in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. It forms part of the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System in and around Ku ...

Plans

Three initial lines were planned: * Rama IV Line: Phra Khanong-

Hua Lamphong Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) railway station (, ) is a railway station in Pathum Wan, the former central passenger terminal in Bangkok and the former railway hub of Thailand. It is in the center of the city in the Pathum Wan district, and is operat ...

- Mo Chit; length, . * Sathon Line:

Wongwian Yai Wongwian Yai, also spelled "Wong Wian Yai" or "Wongwien Yai" (, ; ), is a large roundabout (traffic circle) in Thonburi, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, where the statue of King Taksin is situated. It overlaps betw ...

- Sathon- Lat Phrao; length, , crossing the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

via the center lane of the

Taksin Bridge The Taksin Bridge (, , ; usually abbreviated to simply , ), or commonly known as Sathon Bridge (, , ) is a bridge crossing the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. History It is the sixth bridge built across the Chao Phraya River to link Sath ...

. (The center lane of the bridge is now the BTS

Silom Line The Elevated Train in Commemoration of Bhumibol Adulyadej, HM the King's 6th Cycle Birthday 2nd line, also known as Silom Line, is one of the rapid transit lines of the BTS Skytrain, BTS Skytrain System in Bangkok, Thailand.The line runs eastward ...

viaduct). * Saphan Phut Line: Dao Khanong- Memorial Bridge-Makkasan; length , crossing the river via center lane of the Phra Pok Klao Bridge. (The center lane of the bridge is used as a walkway and garden observatory called " Chao Phraya Sky Park"). The depot was in the

Huai Khwang District Huai Khwang (, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. It is east of the city centre. Neighbouring districts are Chatuchak, Wang Thonglang, Bang Kapi, Suan Luang, Watthana, Ratchathewi, and Din Daeng. History Huai Khwang ...

, near the present-day (2018)

MRT Blue Line The MRT Blue Line () or MRT Chaloem Ratchamongkon Line () is Bangkok's third rapid transit line, following the Sukhumvit line and Silom line of the BTS Skytrain. It is the first line of the MRT (Bangkok), MRT system and is operated by Bangkok Exp ...

depot. The Lavalin Skytrain was canceled during the administration of

Anand Panyarachun Anand Panyarachun (, , ; born 9 August 1932) is a Thai retired politician who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand for two terms, first from 1991 to 1992 and again for a brief period during the latter half of 1992. He was effective in init ...

. The Thai newspaper ''Daily News'' claimed that the project was abandoned because Lavalin could not come up with the financing, but nearly all international media sources cited "political interference" as the reason the contract was terminated by the new government in 1992. Map of the cancelled Lavalin Skytrain

References

{{Public transport in Bangkok Rapid transit in Bangkok Cancelled railway lines

Plans

See also

References