The MRTA board has approved the transfer of the Hat Yai Monorail project from Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization. Niphon revealed plans to proceed with a Phase 2 study to connect the line to the airport.
On 13 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Niphon Boonyamanee, former Deputy Minister of the Interior and Chairman of the Ministerial Working Group under the Ministry of Transport, disclosed progress on the Hat Yai Monorail development. He said the board of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) resolved to officially accept and take over the Hat Yai Monorail project from the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO), under the policy assigned by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to have MRTA consider taking over construction.
Niphon said that when he was the head of Songkhla PAO, he oversaw the study, design, preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, and finalized the route for Phase 1 of the monorail from Khlong Hwa to Hat Yai Van Station. The environmental studies were completed, but the project could not proceed due to budget limitations of the local government organization, as explained by the Budget Bureau. The Bureau formally recommended that if Songkhla PAO wished to advance the project, it should negotiate with MRTA, the country's main mass transit agency, to take over the project.
"As chairman of the Ministerial Working Group under the Ministry of Transport, I invited relevant agencies, including MRTA and Songkhla PAO, to a meeting to provide information, review facts, and consider comprehensive approaches to advancing the project. The meeting proposed that MRTA officially take over the Hat Yai Monorail project," he said.
Niphon added that on 9 Dec 2025 GMT+7, the MRTA board approved moving forward with the project. Additionally, MRTA agreed to study the feasibility of Phase 2 to extend the route from the van station to Hat Yai International Airport, which will become the first large-scale mass transit system in southern Thailand.
Moreover, MRTA is currently conducting public consultations on the draft Royal Decree empowering MRTA to operate the monorail system in Songkhla province (Hat Yai Monorail project) to ensure the project is carried out carefully, transparently, and aligns with local residents' needs.
Niphon emphasized that the Hat Yai Monorail project is a vital infrastructure that will help solve traffic problems, improve travel efficiency, elevate residents' quality of life, and strengthen Hat Yai’s economic potential. It lays the foundation for future development of the city as a transportation hub in southern Thailand. Moving forward, MRTA will work on expanding its authority in Hat Yai and planning the project’s development systematically.