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Thai Tollway Operator To Hike Toll Fee 55%, Effective Dec 22

BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- Thailand's department of highways said Tuesday it will hold talks with Don Muang Tollway PCL in a bid to delay its plan to hike tollway fees 55% next month.

Agency director-general Veera Ruangsooksriwong said he hopes to reach an agreement before the toll increase is due to take effect Dec. 22.

The planned hike will lift the fee to THB85 ($2.60) from THB55 for motorists using Don Muang Tollway's 21 kilometer elevated tollway from central Bangkok to its northern suburbs.

The increase is part of an agreement approved after the company signed the concession contract in 1996, the company said on its Web site.

It said the fee has either been trimmed or left unchanged throughout the past decade following requests from the government.

After the proposed hike, there won't be further increases over the next five years, it said.

The higher toll fee may result in lower traffic but the company will assess the impact after the hike takes effect, said Sombat Panichcheewa, president of Don Muang Tollways, whose listing plan on the local bourse has been on hold since last year.

-By Bangkok Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 66 2 2660744; djnews.bangkok@ dowjones.com

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