🗞️ Good morning! Nikkei Asia called last Sunday’s election a “reality check” for the People’s Party. Turnout was the lowest since 2000. Check the results from this English dashboard. The Election Commission has 30 days to certify.

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The BTSC plans to buy at least 42 new six-car trains — up from four — to handle a coming surge in Green Line ridership, according to the Daily News.

Why it matters: The order responds to the government’s 17-40-baht common fare scheme, which the Transport Ministry expects will boost daily ridership by 20%.

Zooming in: The Green Line runs the city’s largest fleet at 98 trains and 392 cars. The 42-train addition will bring the total to 140 trains and 644 cars. Each train fits roughly 1,500 passengers.

A Senate study — which the Cabinet acknowledged last week — proposes granting City Hall full legal authority over Bangkok traffic and spotlights a turf war among the agencies that would have to give up ground.

Why it matters: Bangkok installs traffic-control infrastructure, but has no power to ticket, direct traffic or enforce any traffic laws. The city can’t penalize drivers who speed through crosswalks or ride on sidewalks, for instance.

Big picture: The study recommends amending national laws to designate BMA staff as traffic officers and the governor as the “head of traffic officers.” It also suggests transferring the police-run traffic command center to the city.

Yes, but… Police oppose the transfer, arguing traffic control must stay tied to their patrol and crime-prevention work. The report flags police are also concerned about maintaining royal motorcade security.

Zooming out: Because many city roads and bridges belong to national agencies, City Hall must request permission lane by lane to install traffic equipment. Senators want a blanket agreement to bypass this red tape.

The pushback: The Highways and Rural Roads departments argue their roads already run CCTV and monitoring systems tied to central control centers. They worry BMA infrastructure would create redundancy and interference.

Between the lines: The report also calls for a joint traffic committee, a unified GIS database to clarify who owns what and a shared standard linking every agency’s cameras, signals and violation data.

What’s next: City Hall is weighing whether to pilot a “full-authority traffic zone” and add a traffic engineer to every district office.

A majority of the incoming Bangkok Metropolitan Council will nominate People’s Party Bang Sue Councilor-elect Pattharaporn Kuengrunruenchai to be its 26th chair.

Why it matters: The People’s Party won 22 seats in the BMC, the most of any party. Securing the chair will allow the party to fast-track its legislative agenda onto the council floor.

State of play: Bangkok Possible, which holds 11 seats, pledged its support in exchange for a deputy chair position. Four independents joined the bloc, bringing it to a 37-vote majority.

Zooming in: Pattharaporn’s platform focuses on council transparency: publicizing members’ voting and attendance records, livestreaming committee meetings and mandating machine-readable budget files.

Flashback: Last term, Pattharaporn chaired the environment and abortion-access committees, challenged the administration on City Hall renovation and On Nut trash odors and sponsored the city’s anti-sexual harassment bill.

What’s next: By law, the BMC must convene its first session within 15 days of the election — that’s July 13.

Some Nong Chok residents urge the city to scrap a planned walking-and-cycling path along Khlong Saen Saeb for an alternative route along the road shoulder, The Active reports.

Why it matters: Locals argue this rural stretch boasts high biodiversity and remains an active fishing site, unlike inner-city sections like Pratunam and Asok.

By the numbers: A survey by Homedin Learning Space documented 52 bird species and 37 fish species along the canal banks.

State of play: Construction is already underway in neighboring Min Buri, where trees have been cleared to plant concrete pylons. The Nong Chok segment is slated for fiscal years 2027-29, pending council approval.

The long-delayed 224.5-billion-baht rail network linking Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports is on the brink of contract termination.

Why it matters: Signed in 2018 as a flagship project for the Eastern Economic Corridor, the 220-kilometer line has seen zero construction progress in eight years.

Between the lines: The paralysis has frozen dependent projects, including the State Railway of Thailand’s commercial development in Makkasan and the construction of the Red Line’s Missing Link to central Bangkok.

State of play: Concessionaire Asia Era One said lenders refuse to finance the project without a contract amendment altering construction cost repayments. But the government insists it won’t revise those payment terms.

What’s next: The SRT, the EEC Office and Asia Era One have narrowed to two options: rewrite the contract or kill it. A decision is expected around August. Legal disputes over the fallout would head to the Administrative Court.

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