Bangkok finally gets some motion

[webfact]

Bangkok finally gets some motion

By The Nation

 

 

Relief – in the form of long-awaited and badly needed extensions to the Skytrain and subway systems – is on the way at last

 

Bangkok and the provinces on its periphery are undertaking their biggest-ever construction projects, building new Skytrain and subway lines in a bid to double the capital’s existing rail mass-transit network, from 109 to 212 kilometres over the next five years.

 

Altogether five new and extended routes will be added to the present system – thanks to the speedy decision-making process over the past four years enabling multiple infrastructure mega-projects of this massive scale to go ahead in one burst.

 

So far, no irregularities have been uncovered with regard to the implementation of these multibillion-baht construction schemes and the routings appear generally sound technically, with no reports of political interference to divert routes for vested business interests.

 

Bangkokians got their first two Skytrain lines nearly two decades ago, after which route extensions were comparatively short and slow – with the exception of the MRT subway lines and, later, the Airport Rail Link. After the long wait, construction of over 100km of new lines is now underway almost simultaneously.

 

While Bangkok’s traffic is undoubtedly set for further rounds of heavy congestion, especially around the multiple building sites appearing in various suburbs, residents should be patient, given that their nightmare will be for the city’s long-term good.

 

Three of the new lines should be finished within the next three years, while the other two will be ready in about five years. Once they’re completed, Bangkok will have one of the most extensive public transit networks among big cities, reducing dependence on the use of private vehicles that have been choking the city’s traffic flow for decades.

 

Even today, about 1,000 new vehicles are added to city streets on a daily basis, while Bangkok faces many constraints to build new roads to accommodate the extra traffic – from ever-rising land expropriation and building costs to the scarcity of available space. In fact, the metropolis of more than 10 million people has less road surface than many other big cities, totalling just 9 per cent of its total urban area, compared to 25 per cent in Tokyo and 30 per cent in New York City.

 

The result is traffic gridlock during rush hours in most inner-city areas, where traffic moves just 15km per hour on average. Yet the majority of Bangkokians use private vehicles to commute to work, accounting for 65 per cent of total residents, while the rest use public transport.

 

Besides a more efficient daily commute infrastructure, the sprawling new Skytrain and subway lines linking the inner city with suburban areas have significantly contributed to the redevelopment of Bangkok as a thriving commercial, residential and tourist hub among Southeast Asian countries. It will surge ahead of several other big cities in the region in terms of having an extensive public transit service, with 212km of Skytrain and subway lines in service by the end of 2023.

 

For the period after that, a master plan has been formulated to further extend the lines to a total of 464km over the next two decades, putting Bangkok among the world’s top five big cities with the largest rail mass-transit system.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30353390

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-31

[Thian]

That's fantastic news! But what about the new river passengerboats and new piers? I thought the purple line would get connected to a pier at the chao praya from where new passengerboats would mere.

[thedemon]

1 hour ago, Thian said:

That's fantastic news! But what about the new river passengerboats and new piers? I thought the purple line would get connected to a pier at the chao praya from where new passengerboats would mere.

 

That's what was claimed in the media before the Purple Line started operating and Phra Nang Klao station seems to have been designed with river access in mind.

 

But 2 years on and there is no sign of any pier construction. The ugly barge repair yard which impedes access from the river is still there and in any case there are 3 bridges each with there own pylons clustered together which would be very difficult to maneuver around especially in those long hulled Chao Phraya Express boats. It seems to me that any pier would either need to be a fair distance up or down river from the station or else built right out into the river.

 

Perhaps it has been quietly put in the too hard basket.

[Esso49]

For a moment there with that headline I thought they were going to say that there was a outbreak in Bangkok of dysentery with severe bowl motions.  After all that may actually move quicker then some of the cars.

[spidermike007]

Bangkok has one of the best mass transit systems around, with the BTS and the Skytrain. I always try my best to avoid using taxis whenever possible, while in Bangkok. Kudos to them for that. Keep it up! Way to go!

[theguyfromanotherforum]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

Bangkok has one of the best mass transit systems around, with the BTS and the Skytrain. 

?

[Thian]

9 hours ago, thedemon said:

 

That's what was claimed in the media before the Purple Line started operating and Phra Nang Klao station seems to have been designed with river access in mind.

 

But 2 years on and there is no sign of any pier construction. The ugly barge repair yard which impedes access from the river is still there and in any case there are 3 bridges each with there own pylons clustered together which would be very difficult to maneuver around especially in those long hulled Chao Phraya Express boats. It seems to me that any pier would either need to be a fair distance up or down river from the station or else built right out into the river.

 

Perhaps it has been quietly put in the too hard basket.

Exactly...it was promised but nothing has been done to start the project...they did buy 4 new passengerboats though iirc but they are not on the chao praya.

 

I've checked that chayo praya station but it's still far from the waterline and would never work for fast transits. So i don't understand the reason they built that station on the bridge, also never seen people going in/out the bts there.

 

But some piers got repaired a few years ago, not sure if they ever finished it.

 

Well keep asking for the boats, maybe one day they arrive.