The New Skytrain (continued for 2019)

[Lakegeneve]

3 hours ago, CLW said:

Surprised the rolling stock is already in country. Wasn't this always a last minute act for previous openings?

Can't do last minute for new lines as usually need to do test runs for a few months to ensure operating system is fine and 'iron out any kinks' and train drivers etc. The first set of both (Pink and Yellow) arrived last year on 1 October. the PM even turned up to make it a show, https://www.railwaygazette.com/vehicles/bangkok-monorail-trains-arrive/57489.article

 

Crossy might have more updated figures, as of end of Oct, 12 of the 28 sets had been delivered.

 

For the MRT Pink line, I think it is now 14 delivered of 42 sets.

Edited November 26, 2021 by Lakegeneve

[Lakegeneve]

2 hours ago, matchar said:

I drove past the yellow line the other day...I was wondering why it's so much higher up than the other lines?

If you have the chance one day, take the SRT Dark Red line to Laksi station and look at how low the MRT Pink line is at this point where it runs on the north side of the Chaeng Wattana rd overpass passing above Vihavadi rd, but under the Don Muang Expressway. It is looks only about 8-10m high

[digbeth]

4 minutes ago, Lakegeneve said:

If you have the chance one day, take the SRT Dark Red line to Laksi station and look at how low the MRT Pink line is at this point where it runs on the north side of the Chaeng Wattana rd overpass passing above Vihavadi rd, but under the Don Muang Expressway. It is looks only about 8-10m high

after the pink line duck under the toll way west it runs next the Laksi Plaza/IT Square, they could practically knock out the wall of the mall and have a platform there on the 2nd floor of the mall and it'd be more convenient than having the station on the east that makes you walk at least 500m to connect to the red line 

[Lakegeneve]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

Been at the Yellow line OCC (Operation Cotrol Centre) today.

 

This is how monorails switch tracks, not a simple mechanism ????

 

 

Which is one of the reasons why I'm generally against major, long monorail lines requiring lots of rolling stock. I anticipate lots of mechanical problems and breakdowns based on other lines in the world, but hopefully this won't occur. (Worth noting that the MRT Pink line will be the world's 2nd longest monorail line when it opens). Monorails are good for short shuttle connections and feeder lines, not long, heavy pax mass transit lines imho. I'd expect this line to have capacity issues in a few years after opening.

 

This line should have stayed heavy rail as was originally proposed by OTP in 05 (Note: the first Japanese consultants proposal in the mid 90s did propose a monorail line though). Heavy rail would have also allowed potential interoperability with the MRT Blue line given that the Latphrao section was to be all underground before becoming elevated along Srinakarin rd.

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, Lakegeneve said:

Which is one of the reasons why I'm generally against major, long monorail lines requiring lots of rolling stock. I anticipate lots of mechanical problems and breakdowns based on other lines in the world, but hopefully this won't occur. (Worth noting that the MRT Pink line will be the world's 2nd longest monorail line when it opens). Monorails are good for short shuttle connections and feeder lines, not long, heavy pax mass transit lines imho. I'd expect this line to have capacity issues in a few years after opening.

 

This line should have stayed heavy rail as was originally proposed by OTP in 05 (Note: the first Japanese consultants proposal in the mid 90s did propose a monorail line though). Heavy rail would have also allowed potential interoperability with the MRT Blue line given that the Latphrao section was to be all underground before becoming elevated along Srinakarin rd.

Was it purely a cost decision to go with Monorail?  Or speed of construction?  Something else?  They just fancied a monorail?  Curious to know the reasoning if they were advised otherwise.

[digbeth]

13 hours ago, Lakegeneve said:

Which is one of the reasons why I'm generally against major, long monorail lines requiring lots of rolling stock. I anticipate lots of mechanical problems and breakdowns based on other lines in the world, but hopefully this won't occur. (Worth noting that the MRT Pink line will be the world's 2nd longest monorail line when it opens). Monorails are good for short shuttle connections and feeder lines, not long, heavy pax mass transit lines imho. I'd expect this line to have capacity issues in a few years after opening.

 

This line should have stayed heavy rail as was originally proposed by OTP in 05 (Note: the first Japanese consultants proposal in the mid 90s did propose a monorail line though). Heavy rail would have also allowed potential interoperability with the MRT Blue line given that the Latphrao section was to be all underground before becoming elevated along Srinakarin rd.

The guideway beams seem quicker to put up, how much is it cheaper to build than the BTS and MRT's viaduct? after decades of building extensions the Thais contractors seem pretty good at building them now. When the BTS first went up on Sukhumvit, it seemed like it really dragged on, the first extension to Samrong too. The later extensions seem to disrupt traffic less and became pretty routine. 

 

Even though the BTS and MRT seem pretty packed now, we haven't seen added carriage to take full advantage of the platforms built even, ok maybe BTS has an excuse in the form of Taksin station limitation, but even then even 30-50 years from now should siemens become defunct, getting replacement standard gauge rolling stock and equipment would probably still be available from other supplier. 

 

The monorail system? seem like a lock in and a bad idea 

[Lakegeneve]

On 11/26/2021 at 9:42 PM, josephbloggs said:

Was it purely a cost decision to go with Monorail?  Or speed of construction?  Something else?  They just fancied a monorail?  Curious to know the reasoning if they were advised otherwise.

It was first mooted back in late 2009. At the time, a Malaysian monorail company was lobbying the DOT, BMA & MRTA to consider monorail lines and a bunch of entertainment parties for decision makers were thrown according to reports at the time. By late 2011, OTP and MRTA stated that building a monorail line instead of a heavy rail line would save 15-20billion in constructions costs especially in respect of the decreased land aquisition needs along Latphrao rd which was to be underground for this section. In mid 2012, MRTA contracted consultants to do the detailed design of the lines and stations etc but they missed one fundamental issue which I'll expand on in the next para. The tender was to be out in late 2013 which was then subsequently delayed until a planned August 2014 tender date.

 

However, 2 keys things then happened. The May 2014 coup delayed all progress on all metro line planning processes as the junta undertook a 2 year review of all projects - including all of the many SRT track duplication tenders that were about to go out. So 2 years were wasted with this review. Secondly, when the MRTA contracted the detailed design of the line in mid 2012 they completely neglected to realise the fact that you can't design a monorail line until you have chosen the rolling stock standard as this determines the type of monorail used. Unlike normal train lines, monorail lines can use vastly different track configurations of different dimensions. (hough there are increasingly common dimensions used). The type of rolling stock you select determines the track and accordingly impacts upon station design etc. This basic oversight by the MRTA lead to a huge delay and uncertaintly as to how best to proceed. Would they establish a standard for BKK or leave it to the bidder?

 

However, as the coup govt had delayed dozens of regional and BKK transport projects with their review they started to push PPP frameworks for any project they could as it was going to be a huge strain on the budget to tender all these proejcts at once. Dept of Transport instructed the MRTA to change both the MRT Yellow and MRT Pink lines to PPP. This actually allowed the MRTA to essentially leave the rolling stock and design issue to the successful bidder.  Thereafter, the tender was issued in Mid 2016 and BSR Joint Venture (75% BTSC) won it and signed the contract in Dec 2016.

 

As for saving money, I need to check updated firgures if they are available but when the contract was signed the cost of the line exceeded the 2010 estimated cost of a heavy rail line. Long term we have to see if the monorail line can cope with expected pax numbers, but as I expressed previously I think that the line will be near capacity after a few years. The change from heavy rail to light rail will have significant operational constraints in future years in my view.

 

[Lakegeneve]

On 11/27/2021 at 8:56 AM, digbeth said:

The guideway beams seem quicker to put up, how much is it cheaper to build than the BTS and MRT's viaduct? after decades of building extensions the Thais contractors seem pretty good at building them now. When the BTS first went up on Sukhumvit, it seemed like it really dragged on, the first extension to Samrong too. The later extensions seem to disrupt traffic less and became pretty routine. 

 

Even though the BTS and MRT seem pretty packed now, we haven't seen added carriage to take full advantage of the platforms built even, ok maybe BTS has an excuse in the form of Taksin station limitation, but even then even 30-50 years from now should siemens become defunct, getting replacement standard gauge rolling stock and equipment would probably still be available from other supplier. 

 

The monorail system? seem like a lock in and a bad idea 

The guide beam issue is an interesting one as similar to viaduct sections they are all pre-cast. Unlike viaduct sections installed between pillars which are all a standard size, guide beams have to be a specific length for the section that they are to be installed. This being the firstt monorail project for BSR  STEC constructions) they realised in mid 2020 that they had messed up the construction outlay cordination insofar as there were guide beams made for sections of the line where pillars has not yet been constructed and vice versa for some sections where pillars had been completed the guide beams had not been made yet. It took them a few months but they resolved that issue.

 

Regarding the first eect of the BTS Suk line, this was from On Nut to Bearing - Samrong came much later. This ext started construction in mid 06 and was due to open in mid 09. However, though all the civil works were done on time it didn't end up opening until 2 years later in August 2011. The reason, well one of the more infamous <deleted> ups of many. The BMA official who was responsible for issuing the tender for signalling and electrial installation on the ext delayed doing so for over 1 year as he was worried that he might be subject to corruption allegations given other corruption investigations being conducted at the time. He literally, just unilaterally decided not to issue the tender and seemingly the BMA Transport and Planning Division has little managerial oversight as no one realised that it hadn't been issued. Thus, a 3 year construction timeframe became 5 years.

 

Yes, one of the falws of the private concessionaire framework used in BKK is that there is no compulsion for private operators to expand the rolling stock fleet as pax rates grow. The BEM (then BMCL) were originally going to order extra rolling stock for the MRT Blue line back in 08 but stated at the time that they couldn't due to their debt burder. We had to wait until they won the tender to operate the Blue line ext and finally order more rolling stock though they should be operating 4 car sets. The BTSC did at least belatedly expand to 4 car sets from late 2012 to March 2013. Prior to this the overcrowding on some stations was a significant safety risk.

 

Back to the monorails, one of the unfortunate aspects is that BKk will end up will 5-6 monorail lines. We've already had the MRT Pink and MRT Yellow lines changed from heavy rail to monorail. The MRT Brown line which should be tendered by mid 2022 will also be a monorail when it should be havy rail. The BMA Grey line if it gets built be also be a monorail though I'm more comfortable with that as it is essentially a feeder line. The BMA line from Bang Na instersection to the airport is going to be a light rail line so that's a 50/50 chance to be a monorail too. Similarly, the proposed Samut Prakhan provincial govt line from Paknam to the airport is also proposed to be light rail so 50/50 that ends up being a monorail. And that's before we get to the next batch of lines post 2029 once the M-Map 11 lines are completed. And of course there isn't much intergration between projects eg. the MRT Brown line and BMA Grey line could intergrate their projects ensuring commonality of rolling stock and build a common depot to save costs as the Brown line doesn't yet have a confirmed depot site but the Grey line does right near the interchange with the Brown line.

 

I've always been an advocate for a single govt operator in BKK to ensure more efficient intergration of the network, easier interchange between lines and potential interoperability of the mass transit network and a single ticket platform which is elusive in BKK. The same on the planning and implementation side given the current mutitude of agencies - one of the main aims of the new Dept of Railways.  The current private concessionaire model is dysfunctional and poorly implemented with operators stupidly competing against each other rather than seeing the value of a fully intergrated network.

[josephbloggs]

47 minutes ago, Lakegeneve said:

It was first mooted back in late 2009. At the time, a Malaysian monorail company was lobbying the DOT, BMA & MRTA to consider monorail lines and a bunch of entertainment parties for decision makers were thrown according to reports at the time. By late 2011, OTP and MRTA stated that building a monorail line instead of a heavy rail line would save 15-20billion in constructions costs especially in respect of the decreased land aquisition needs along Latphrao rd which was to be underground for this section. In mid 2012, MRTA contracted consultants to do the detailed design of the lines and stations etc but they missed one fundamental issue which I'll expand on in the next para. The tender was to be out in late 2013 which was then subsequently delayed until a planned August 2014 tender date.

 

However, 2 keys things then happened. The May 2014 coup delayed all progress on all metro line planning processes as the junta undertook a 2 year review of all projects - including all of the many SRT track duplication tenders that were about to go out. So 2 years were wasted with this review. Secondly, when the MRTA contracted the detailed design of the line in mid 2012 they completely neglected to realise the fact that you can't design a monorail line until you have chosen the rolling stock standard as this determines the type of monorail used. Unlike normal train lines, monorail lines can use vastly different track configurations of different dimensions. (hough there are increasingly common dimensions used). The type of rolling stock you select determines the track and accordingly impacts upon station design etc. This basic oversight by the MRTA lead to a huge delay and uncertaintly as to how best to proceed. Would they establish a standard for BKK or leave it to the bidder?

 

However, as the coup govt had delayed dozens of regional and BKK transport projects with their review they started to push PPP frameworks for any project they could as it was going to be a huge strain on the budget to tender all these proejcts at once. Dept of Transport instructed the MRTA to change both the MRT Yellow and MRT Pink lines to PPP. This actually allowed the MRTA to essentially leave the rolling stock and design issue to the successful bidder.  Thereafter, the tender was issued in Mid 2016 and BSR Joint Venture (75% BTSC) won it and signed the contract in Dec 2016.

 

As for saving money, I need to check updated firgures if they are available but when the contract was signed the cost of the line exceeded the 2010 estimated cost of a heavy rail line. Long term we have to see if the monorail line can cope with expected pax numbers, but as I expressed previously I think that the line will be near capacity after a few years. The change from heavy rail to light rail will have significant operational constraints in future years in my view.

 

Thanks for sharing your insight, very interesting indeed.

Dumb question: the trains look to be very spacious.  If they can add trains and run at a high frequency then isn't the passenger capacity similar to the BTS?  Or is it significantly lower?   I see Bombardier says 40,000 pphpd which seems a lot but I don't have anything to compare that to.

[digbeth]

1 hour ago, Lakegeneve said:

The guide beam issue is an interesting one as similar to viaduct sections they are all pre-cast. Unlike viaduct sections installed between pillars which are all a standard size, guide beams have to be a specific length for the section that they are to be installed. This being the firstt monorail project for BSR  STEC constructions) they realised in mid 2020 that they had messed up the construction outlay cordination insofar as there were guide beams made for sections of the line where pillars has not yet been constructed and vice versa for some sections where pillars had been completed the guide beams had not been made yet. It took them a few months but they resolved that issue.

...

Interesting note about the beam sizes, looks like they try to standardize spacing between columns as much as they can, only the last ones before the stations and corner ones seem to be custom sized

Some pillars were pre cast and lifted in place while other were poured on-site too, looks like there was bottlenecks at the precast factory but once they got rolling it went up pretty quickly 

 

back to comparison with viaduct sections, the viaducts require massive overhead gantry to place them all together and post tensioning, whereas the guideway beams just bolt on top of the pillars, that should be a significant cost saving right there right?

 

The rivalries between operator are starting to rear its heads against the convenience of riders now that the yellow line missing link to the green line is being blocked by MRT

 

it's like the early days of the london underground with different company battling each other, how long till we get TfL style corporation? 50-80 years away?

[josephbloggs]

30 minutes ago, digbeth said:

it's like the early days of the london underground with different company battling each other, how long till we get TfL style corporation? 50-80 years away?

Sorry for off-topic but I read the other day that TfL is about to go bankrupt and they may even have to close down a full line and maybe 100 bus routes, plus overland services and maybe the DLR.  It actually sounds pretty serious:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tfl-financial-crisis-tube-line-closed-bankruptcy-b968230.html

Edited November 28, 2021 by josephbloggs

[Lakegeneve]

On 11/26/2021 at 7:17 PM, Lakegeneve said:

Can't do last minute for new lines as usually need to do test runs for a few months to ensure operating system is fine and 'iron out any kinks' and train drivers etc. The first set of both (Pink and Yellow) arrived last year on 1 October. the PM even turned up to make it a show, https://www.railwaygazette.com/vehicles/bangkok-monorail-trains-arrive/57489.article

 

Crossy might have more updated figures, as of end of Oct, 12 of the 28 sets had been delivered.

 

For the MRT Pink line, I think it is now 14 delivered of 42 sets.

Testing on MRT Yellow and MRT Pink lines begins:

Firstly, to update the rolling stock figure the BSR on Monday said that 22 of the Yellow line sets of rolling stock have been delivered as of the end of Nov. A big difference to the Oct figure I posted last week. BSR still expects all sets to be delivered by the end March 2022.

 

Daily testing began on both lines on Monday. for the MRT Yellow line it is only a 6km section between the depot at Si Lam (YL 17) and Srinagarindra 38 (YL 14) which is just north of Seacon Sq so one could view it from there. ITesting is only being done at 25km/h for the next 3 months after which it will be undertaken at higher speeds along an extended section of the line.

 

For the Pink line it is a more limited section from the depot from what I understand, I need to check as the line is more behind schedule than the Yellow. Previously, they were testing on just a small 500m section from the depot to just past Minburi

 

 

[Lakegeneve]

On 11/28/2021 at 6:02 AM, josephbloggs said:

Thanks for sharing your insight, very interesting indeed.

Dumb question: the trains look to be very spacious.  If they can add trains and run at a high frequency then isn't the passenger capacity similar to the BTS?  Or is it significantly lower?   I see Bombardier says 40,000 pphpd which seems a lot but I don't have anything to compare that to.

Current sets are 4 cars and the line will have a capacity for 17k pax per hr each way according to BSR. The rolling stock is designed to expand to 7 car sets here which has a capacity of 28k p/h again according to the BSR. Crossey might be able to provide other figures?

 

I note that the Bombadier does state capacity for 4 cars sets is 24k and for 8 car sets 49.6k. Sao Paulo line 15, Silver line, was the first to operate this rolling stock and uses 8 cars sets which is understandable given the pop of SP. (Though it was getting on 39k pax per day in May - Covid impact I assume)

 

Not a huge amount of seating so not much good for granny doing a long trip along the line if she can't get a seat....

[Lakegeneve]

BMA Grey line update

Not much has happened to this previous MRT line since the BMA took over responsibility for the line in 2013 and stated that they will tender it in 2014 AND build it within 3 years! In 2014, some silly person then came up with the not so bright idea of an extension along Rama 4 and Rama 3 to connect with the MRT Blue line at Tha Phra to essentially replace the BRT route.

 

You can read my previous posts from 2013/2014 on the BMA Grey line here .....half way down the page. (There is also a previous explanation on why the Pink and Yellow lines were changed to monorails that I had forgotton about,,,,,,,,,)

 

 

However, 2 weeks ago the BMA stated that they have commissioned another feasibility study for the 16.5km line (nice earner for consultants doing feasibility studies every few years for the same line) which will be completed in March. The BMA then intends to obtain Cabinet approval in 2023 and potentially tender the line as a PPP project in 2024. PPP is all the rage now. Not much rush here compared with the previous 2013 intention to build it within 3 years! The line is not expected to open until 2030 assuming that it passes all the other hoops in the next 2 years.

 

The Phase 2 12.2km ext from Phrakhanong to Rama 3 and Phase 3 11.5km from Rama 3 to Tha Phra sections would then be built in the 30s. However, hopefully sense prevails and the Phrakhanong to Tha Phra idea is treated as a completely different line. Ideally in my view, the MRT Blue line should instead be extended south to Rama 3 to replace the BRT if that is the main aim of the BMA. However, MRTA has never had plans to extend the line further south from Tha Phra and the BMA wants to do their own project to resolve the BRT issue.

 

Everyone is very happy in this video.....

Edited December 1, 2021 by Lakegeneve

[ExpatOilWorker]

7 minutes ago, Lakegeneve said:

BMA Grey line update

Not much has happened to this previous MRT line since the BMA took responsibility for the line in 2013 and stated that they will tender it in 2013 AND build it within 3 years! In 2014, some silly person then came up with the not so bright idea of an extension along Rama 4 and Rama 3 to connect with the MRT Blue line at Tha Phra to essentially replace the BRT route.

 

You can read my previous posts from 2013/2014 on the BMA Grey line here .....half way down the page. (There is also a previous explanation on why the Pink and Yellow lines were changed to monorails that I had forgotton about,,,,,,,,,)

 

 

However, 2 weeks ago the BMA stated that they have commissioned another feasibility study for the 16.5km line (nice earner for consultants doing feasibility studies every few years for the same line) which will be completed in March. The BMA then intends to obtain Cabinet approval in 2023 and potentially tender the line as a PPP project in 2024. PPP is all the rage now. Not much rush here compared with the previous 2013 intention to build it within 3 years! The line is not expected to open until 2030 assuming that it passes all the other hoops in the next 2 years.

 

The Phase 2 12.2km ext from Phrakhanong to Rama 3 and Phase 3 11.5km from Rama 4 to Tha Phra sections would then be built in the 30s. However, hopefully sense prevails and the Phrakjanong to Tha Phra idea is treated as a completely different line. Ideally in my view, the MRT Blue line should instead be extended south to Rama 3 to replace the BRT if that is the main aim of the BMA. However, MRTA has never had plans to extend the line further south from Tha Phra and the BMA wants to do their own project to resolve the BRT issue.

 

Everyone is very happy in this video.....

Thanks for the Grey line update. Is an elevated dual monorail really going to run the lenght of Thonglor?

Wasn't it at one point planned as an underground line, similar to the MRT running under Asoke?

[CLW]

On 11/26/2021 at 7:36 PM, digbeth said:

after the pink line duck under the toll way west it runs next the Laksi Plaza/IT Square, they could practically knock out the wall of the mall and have a platform there on the 2nd floor of the mall and it'd be more convenient than having the station on the east that makes you walk at least 500m to connect to the red line 

Go to BTS Station Wat Phra Sri Mahathat and if I'm not wrong they are currently building a monorail station very close to the expressway. Hardly any space between future carriages and the outer concrete wall of the road.

[Lakegeneve]

12 hours ago, CLW said:

Go to BTS Station Wat Phra Sri Mahathat and if I'm not wrong they are currently building a monorail station very close to the expressway. Hardly any space between future carriages and the outer concrete wall of the road.

That's the MRT Pink line station of the same name at Laksi Monument circle. It's not an expressway, just an overpass connecting Chaeng Wattana rd and Ram Inthra rds which was built 4 years ago (not cooord between the Highways dept and MRTA so the monorail alignment is tight). Yes, it is very close and the barriers are not that high. You'll find a bunch of similar spots where the Pink monorail line passes closely adhacent to overpasses - I can think of at least 5 on Chaeng Wattana and 3 on Ram Inthra.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if a drunk or speeding driver one day smashes over the overpass barrier and onto the track somewhere. TIT after all so we have to unfortunately expect this at some stage.....

[Lakegeneve]

16 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Thanks for the Grey line update. Is an elevated dual monorail really going to run the lenght of Thonglor?

Wasn't it at one point planned as an underground line, similar to the MRT running under Asoke?

Yes, that's the plan. There will be some opposition from residents along Thonglor but actually it will make living there better given traffic congestion and provide a good transit link. Thonglor was also chosen over the more direct Ekkamai rd route as it is much wider. There has never been a plan to build this line underground, but the question of if it would be heavy rail or light rail was open 10 years ago. It makes sense for it to be light rail and it is probably the only line I would agree is possibly suitable as a monorail as it is mainly be a linking feeder line.

 

However, it will have potential significant growth in pax in the decades to come given residential growth along the Kaset-Namawin corridor (MRT Brown line) and Pradit Monutham rd corridor. Also, a lot of pax along the eastern sections of Ram Inthra will probably use it as a more direct link into the inner city rather than going all the way west to the BTS line at Laksi circle.

[FarangryBirds]

I spotted an old Diesel train running on the new elevated lane near Don Mueang the other day, it didn't have any carriages or cargo.

 

Will this become a more common sight once Hua Lampong closes?

 

The seating layouts in those new Monorail sets look terrible. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by FarangryBirds

[Crossy]

15 minutes ago, FarangryBirds said:

I spotted an old Diesel train running on the new elevated lane near Don Mueang the other day, it didn't have any carriages or cargo.

 

Will this become a more common sight once Hua Lampong closes?

 

The seating layouts in those new Monorail sets look terrible. 

 

The SRT long-distance (diesel) trains will eventually move up onto the new viaduct doing away with all those annoying level-crossings.

 

Yeah, I'm not overly convinced about the monorail seating, but it's apparently the standard arrangement for this model of vehicle.

 

[Crossy]

Coming soon to the MRT Blue and Purple lines, use your contactless credit card to travel. BTS are also working on a solution but are well behind BEM on the implementation phase.

 

The screen shows only the VISA logo, I assume (possibly a bad move) that your MasterCard will also work.

 

I'm also assuming that foreign cards will work so tourists don't need to go through the hassle of getting stored-value cards.

 

[digbeth]

On 12/2/2021 at 11:30 AM, Lakegeneve said:

I wouldn't be surprised if a drunk or speeding driver one day smashes over the overpass barrier and onto the track somewhere. TIT after all so we have to unfortunately expect this at some stage.....

I've seen the guideway beam coming out from the Yellow line's Si Iam depot looking very low at around 5 meters from the road, the road's the cloverleaf connecting Srinakkarin rd with Bangna hwy, we've seen dump truck and crane drivers that forgot to lower their bed when driving off smashing into overpasses before.. 

[tonray]

On 12/3/2021 at 10:45 AM, Crossy said:

Coming soon to the MRT Blue and Purple lines, use your contactless credit card to travel. BTS are also working on a solution but are well behind BEM on the implementation phase.

 

The screen shows only the VISA logo, I assume (possibly a bad move) that your MasterCard will also work.

 

I'm also assuming that foreign cards will work so tourists don't need to go through the hassle of getting stored-value cards.

 

I'll stick with my 50% over 60 MRT discount card.

[Crossy]

Just now, tonray said:

I'll stick with my 50% over 60 MRT discount card.

 

Yeah, me too. There doesn't seem to be anything in place for concession discounts.

[Lakegeneve]

On 10/13/2021 at 10:22 PM, Lakegeneve said:

Construction progress as at 31 September:

1) MRT Orange Line: 86.26%

2) MRT Pink Line: 82.58%

3) MRT Yellow Line: 87.07%

Construction progress as at 30 November:

1) MRT Orange Line: 88.46%

2) MRT Pink Line: 84.45%

3) MRT Yellow Line: 89.51%

 

The MRT Orange line eastern ext will essentially be completed by the end of 2022. However, the tenders for the operation and rolling stock are seemingly not going our until mid 2022 which means the line will now not open until Match 2024. Normally, it takes 2 years from order to delivery for rollng stock so that timeframe will be very tight.

 

I;ll post an update regarding the messy tender of the MRT Orange line western ext seperately with othe tender updates.

[Lakegeneve]

On 12/1/2021 at 5:26 PM, Lakegeneve said:

Testing on MRT Yellow and MRT Pink lines begins:

Firstly, to update the rolling stock figure the BSR on Monday said that 22 of the Yellow line sets of rolling stock have been delivered as of the end of Nov. A big difference to the Oct figure I posted last week. BSR still expects all sets to be delivered by the end March 2022.

 

Daily testing began on both lines on Monday. for the MRT Yellow line it is only a 6km section between the depot at Si Lam (YL 17) and Srinagarindra 38 (YL 14) which is just north of Seacon Sq so one could view it from there. ITesting is only being done at 25km/h for the next 3 months after which it will be undertaken at higher speeds along an extended section of the line.

 

For the Pink line it is a more limited section from the depot from what I understand, I need to check as the line is more behind schedule than the Yellow. Previously, they were testing on just a small 500m section from the depot to just past Minburi

MRT Pink line testing

To correct my previous post, the MRT Pink line testing didn't commence until yesterday. Testing is being done along a 4km section from the depot at Minburi to Bang Chan station which is approx 4km-4.5km. Testing at slow speeds again for the bext 3 months. Khun Somphans helpful video has some good close ups of the undercarriage rubber tires....

 

 

[FarangryBirds]

I thought the first phase of YL was going to be Samrong + about 4 stops, but it looks like it will now be everything bar the last stop at Lat Phrao intersection. Kind of reminiscent of when Purple Line opened and there was a bus shuttle from Bang Sue because Tao Poon wasn't quite ready.

 

On a seperate vlog I saw yesterday, the station at Bang Kapi Mall has quite a lot to do yet. I haven't been over Lat Phrao Rd in a while now so I haven't seen first hand how much progress there is.

 

 

[Lakegeneve]

On 10/13/2021 at 10:49 PM, Lakegeneve said:

Most of you probably know but the BSR did announce in late July that the MRT Pink line and MRT Yellow line will not open until mid 2022.

Construction has also started on the MRT Pink spur line to Muang Thing Thani Lake.

 

MRT Pink Line opening dates;

Stage 1 June 2022: Minburi - PK 30 to Govt Complex - PK12

Stage 2 August 2022: Govt Complex - PK12 to Royal Irrigation - PK05

Stage 3 2023: Royal Irrigation PK05 to Nonthaburi Civic Center - PK01

 

MRT Yellow line opening dates:

Stage 1 June 2022: Samrong - Y23 to Si Iam (Depot) Y17

Stage 2 August 2022: Si Iam (Depot) Y17 to Latphrao - Y01

Note: depending on progress the full line may open at once.

Yes, currently BSR plans to open the whole line in July 2022 except for Lat Phrao which will open in late August. This probably will change again. As you infer, it would be silly to open to whole line but not to Latphrao given pax would then have to shuttle. I pass Latphrao rd every Sunday and construction is progressing well - haven't been to Bangkapi in 4 months. I'd be keen to check progress at Lam Sali given the interchange with MRT Orange. MRTA did post station progress pics last month on their FB page.....

 

Crossey will be able to give up future updates on exact opening plans, but I still think it might be wiser to open the southern section first - perhaps Samrong to Hua Mark as per the first 2019 plan - and thereafter open the full northern section. Let's see how testing and ongoing construction unfolds in the next 3 months.

[josephbloggs]

Hoping @Crossy, @Lakegeneve or any of the other experts can satisfy my curiosity:  I was bored today so I went out to try the Red Line, then did the Blue Line loop exploring several places - very impressed with all the new Blue Line stations and some great views along the river.

The Red Line, I love the big windows on the trains but it is much noisier and much less smooth than the ARL for a similar commuter line service that seems to run at similar speeds.  Is this just down to the rolling stock?  The ride is noticeably worse.

And between Bang Sue and Don Muang there are four lines all the way.  Are the middle two for the ARL extension?

[Lakegeneve]

To answer the last question first, no. SRT Red lines are narrow gauge and ARL is standard. A new viaduct will need to be built for the ARL/AERA1/Eastern High Speed line/3 Airports line most likely adjacent on the east side of the current viaduct. (I had advanced the idea 10 years ago that the SRT should be building an intergrated, super structure viaduct for the then SRT Dark Red & ARL ext & Eastern High Speed line). The 4 tracks are for the fact that SRT Intercity services will use the middle tracks - originally it was only 3 tracks before the SRT realised in 2013 that it needed to be 4 tracks.

 

Next time you use the Dark red line you can see that north of Bang Sue on the east side there is already a built section of the HSR viaduct extending for around 1 km north of Bang Sue Grand. I assume that this will be used for both the ARL ext/Eastern HSR and  the NE HSR lines.

 

Regarding rolling stock, for the SRT Red lines use Hitachi & Mitsubishi stock. I've used both Red lines a bunch of times and I don't really agree with it being more noisy or bumpy compared to the ARL. Though the Light Red line is perhaps a little noisier than the Dark Red. Indeed, the ARL still has the problem of the poor Chinese steel track which will need to be replaced along with the infamous 'bang' which occurs between Ram and Hua Mark stations. The line will need to closed for 6 months so that they can replace the track and install new signalling before the ext to DMK opens.

 

Nice that you finally were able to check our the MRT stations on the Thonburi side, it makes a huge difference for everyone living on that side of the river. The MRT Blue line ext was originally due to open in late 2016. Instead we had to wait until July to Dec 2019 as it gradually opened before full services in March 2020. Not quite the 5 year delay with the opening of the SRT Red lines though......

Edited December 27, 2021 by Lakegeneve