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The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will put the operation of the Airport Rail Link's non-rail facilities up for bidding.

 The link is to be finished in May.

SRT governor Yuthana Thapcharoen said after a meeting of the link committee that Airports of Thailand, which operates Suvarnabhumi Airport, had declined to operate the non-rail systems, which comprise baggage-handling, check-in counters, safety, cleaning and parking at Makkasan station and seven other stations along the route.

 "The SRT must make haste and find an operator within three months. We can't wait for the establishment of a subsidiary to manage the systems," Yuthana said, adding that the next eight months would be critical for the SRT to ensure the readiness of all systems.

 It will first estimate the value of the contract, ensure that it complies with the Joint Public/Private Investment Act, then weigh the qualifications of the bidders so that terms of reference can be drawn up as soon as possible.

Thai Airways International and Thai Airports Ground Services have experience in handling such systems.

 Yuthana insisted yesterday that the Airport Rail Link would be completed in May and operational on August 12, giving the operator three months to test the system for safety.

 Yuthana said plans were being resubmitted to the Cabinet on subsidiaries to operate trains and manage SRT assets.

The subsidiaries require a Bt500-million government budget as start-up capital.