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RESIDENTS
in Bangkok and neighbouring areas like Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan are
seeing changing landscapes and new landmarks emerging in different areas
– as many mass-transit projects are now under construction.
Several
urban and suburban areas of the capital now have elevated structures
overhead, with train tracks on bridges crossing the Chao Phraya River,
old buildings disappearing, and new junctions in the making.
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A
lot more changes will be visible when many projects – some underground,
some elevated and others a combination of the two – are completed in a
few years’ time.
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Many shop-houses and buildings have been
expropriated for train stations, both above ground and elevated. Many
areas adjacent to the train routes have already witnessed a boom in real
estate development, with condominium projects having sprung up for
people who prefer the convenience of rail travel to go to work or
school.
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Tha Phra Intersection, on the Thon Buri side of Bangkok, will house a
key interchange station for the Metropolitan Rapid Transit’s Blue Line.
When construction of the Blue Line’s extended section is finished in
October 2019, it will complete the circular route – the only one in the
country.
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The three-way Fai Chai Junction will become a four-way
intersection when construction of a new road is completed. The junction
also houses one of the Blue Line stations being built under Charan
Sanitwong Road. During World War II, spotlights were installed at this
junction to help anti-aircraft guns find Allied bombers attacking at
night. That is where its name comes from – Fai Chai means ‘flashlight’.
The area saw frequent bombings as strategically significant targets such
as a train station and a naval dockyard were located there.
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Physical changes are also taking place or in set to occur in areas such
as Tao Poon, Bang Sue, Rat Burana and Bang Pho in Bangkok, as well as
Bang Yai district in Nonthaburi and the Samrong area in Samut Prakan.
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Given there are plans for Bangkok to have a mass-transit network that
extends over 500 kilometres, it’s safe to say the dramatic changes to
the city’s landscape will go on for some time – over a decade, if there
are no further delays.
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