Now MRT is broken as BTS.

[Number 6]

2 hours ago, natway09 said:

Never, ever had to wait more than one train which are 5/6 min apart. Clean, cool, comfortable

You are very lucky to have these 2 services here. The OP would be moaning if his ar,,,,,,caught on fire

Go live in Jakarta for a while,,, that will stop the moaning

 

This statement is bullshit. The situation was as I'd described and is often the same a few nights a week. Comparing it to wholly broken Indonesia is laughable. Yes, I've lived there dan becara bahasa. That's a pretty low bar sir.

 

[Searat7]

18 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Yes, they did.  And it has made a big difference.  It's not a Thai invention.   Same thing they did in Shanghai, in Singapore, and many other places.  It may feel like a cattle truck but I'd rather have the extra capacity.  Seats are there for those who need them, but most people can stand for 10-15 minutes.

The MRT is still operating with the same 3 car Siemens trains since it opened in 2004. Time to add a car or two to each train. I am sure there is a long lead time but they could order with BTS for best price and service.

[Bangkok Barry]

22 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Cheap yes - comfortable - not so much as almost no seats (not talking rush hours) and teenagers seem almost as bad as drivers in sprinting to any open seat regardless of signs giving priority to those that need.  At least most trips are not too long.

 

I am of a certain age and lived in Bangkok since the BTS was opened and not once, not once was I offered a seat. I spent four days in Singapore and was offered a seat three times. In Thailand it is always Me First.

[Classic Ray]

The blue line MRT is being extended and additional rolling stock is being procured to service the demand.

 

The green line BTS south extension has just opened and the north extension is being constructed. New rolling stock from Siemens Turkey and the Chinese Supplier is being delivered.

 

The Pink and Yellow Monorails, the Gold Line and the SRT Red Line are under construction and the Orange Line is being tendered. The new Purple Line will also be extended.

 

The contract for the renovation of the ARL and construction of the HSR 3 Airports link is expected to be signed this month.

 

The HSR being built by the Chinese is under way and various SRT lines are being renovated and double tracked. 

 

Several light rail projects in places like Chiang Mai, Phuket, Khon Kaen are being developed by MRTA who also govern the fares that can be charged. 

 

Plenty is being done done to improve public rail transport in Thailand, but patience will be needed. Most is funded by the private sector and lenders are being very tough.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Classic Ray

[moontang]

Thankfully, they are becoming aware of the financing traps set up by China. Laos is getting abused. 

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, Just Weird said:

In rush hours there is usually less than 1½ minutes between BTS trains, how much more frequent do you think that the trains could be?

When I was on it the other day there was about 5-7 minutes between trains. I dont know about rush hour as nothing would induce me to move around in Bangkok at that time.

 

But if the trains are as frequent as you claim (and this page seems to indicate that 2.5 minutes is the minimum: https://www.bangkokbts.com/bts-timetable.html) then there is still enough room to add more. All trains seems to be at least one carriage short of the full length of the platform as well, from what I saw.

[KittenKong]

7 hours ago, billd766 said:

Then they would have to recruit more drivers and need more rolling stock.

Is that a big problem? The BTS stations I saw all seemed to be designed to take trains with at least one more car, so they could do that without needing more drivers.

[moe666]

The complaining is the same when the original Skytrain opened in 2000, many a frang would not ride the thing until it had been proven

[Nyezhov]

6 hours ago, smo said:

I agree. Peak hour, big city, high-speed public transport, what do you expect? BKK has its act together in this department. With class. You can still breathe in a crowded train, with room to spare if you know how to navigate. Traffic on platforms move about efficiently. To those who complain, just watch youtube clips showing Tokyo riders got shoved into trains like ragged dolls. (Then let them ride a NY subway.)

Having had a chance to now ride the trains in Shanghai, gimme the BTS/MRT

[mngmn]

7 hours ago, moontang said:

They could add cars to the trains. 

And make the platforms longer?

[Cadbury]

3 hours ago, Just Weird said:

"What part of my post did you not understand?"

All of it.  None of it was factual so it did not make any sense to me. 

 

"Was it my reference to; "......brains are in short supply".

Be careful with not-so-subtle innuendo here, personal attacks are frowned upon.

For it to make sense to you is a challenge. 

[madmen]

2 hours ago, Number 6 said:

This statement is bullshit. The situation was as I'd described and is often the same a few nights a week. Comparing it to wholly broken Indonesia is laughable. Yes, I've lived there dan becara bahasa. That's a pretty low bar sir.

 

You described 1 hour waits when every single person so far are talking fractions of that. Are you not embarrassed? It does sound like your drinking hard and cant figure stuff out.

[awol666]

Hi there! 

I believe it`s ok to ask it within this thread...

 

Does anyone have an idea, what this gap between Bearing BTS  and  Samrong BTS mean? Or, rather, if this BTS line is currently operating fine?

Edited May 1, 2019 by awol666

[billd766]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Is that a big problem? The BTS stations I saw all seemed to be designed to take trains with at least one more car, so they could do that without needing more drivers.

They could probably link 2 x 3 trains together (if they are compatible) and save on the drivers. Most BTS stations will accommodate a 6 car train and it would certainly be a lot easier to get a seat even in the crush hour.

[billd766]

42 minutes ago, awol666 said:

Hi there! 

I believe it`s ok to ask it within this thread...

 

Does anyone have an idea, what this gap between Bearing BTS  and  Samrong BTS mean? Or, rather, if this BTS line is currently operating fine?

The Bearing line now runs to Samrong where you cross the platform to get the next train to carry on down the line to eventually Kheha Samut Prakarn. It was working well last month when I was in BKK.

[awol666]

21 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The Bearing line now runs to Samrong where you cross the platform to get the next train to carry on down the line to eventually Kheha Samut Prakarn. It was working well last month when I was in BKK.

 

Ok, i got it, thank you!)

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, awol666 said:

Ok, i got it, thank you!)

Its a nice run. Good seafood down there

[awol666]

oh really? seafood sounds great. where exactly?

[OneEyedPie]

oh really? seafood sounds great. where exactly?

From the sea.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nyezhov]

31 minutes ago, awol666 said:

oh really? seafood sounds great. where exactly?

try Rim Kuean Seafood near Pak Nam. Google it. Its great

[Kalasin Jo]

Have you used either the London Underground or the Paris metro in rush hour, or their overground urban services in rush hour? One word: don't!

[josephbloggs]

4 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Have you used either the London Underground or the Paris metro in rush hour, or their overground urban services in rush hour? One word: don't!

They probably haven't, and they probably don't use the systems in Bangkok either - they just sit in their village or in Pattaya and gripe based on what other people (who also don't live here) post.  They feed off each other's negativity.  I am still flabberghasted that someone suggested there is a one hour delay to use the BTS - one hour!!  Someone else said the government prioritses submarines and doesn't invest in mass transit when there are hundreds of kms of mass transit lines under construction with several new lines and extensions opened recently.

 

Reading this thread, you can see that the people who actually live in Bangkok and use the system daily - and especially those who have lived and worked in other major cities - they almost overwhelmingly appreciate what we have and agree it works pretty well.  Oh, and people who are not just automatically anti Thai everything.

 

It's not perfect, but it is pretty damn good.

Edited May 2, 2019 by josephbloggs

[Number 6]

11 hours ago, madmen said:

You described 1 hour waits when every single person so far are talking fractions of that. Are you not embarrassed? It does sound like your drinking hard and cant figure stuff out.

Not in the least. I've replied to many and none describe being in the situation I had mentioned. Namely, Sukhhumvhit station 1800-1830.

 

The MRT is overwhelmled a few hours in the morning and evening. Commuters headed south in the AM and back north in pm. The real bottlneck runs from Sukhhumvhit to Petchaburi station for obvious reasons.

 

Many others have described indemic issues as well.

 

And it's - you're, not your. Being drunk I still have command of 5th grade grammar nonetheless.

 

 

 

I think the issue has been addressed, thank you all for your comments.

[Number 6]

54 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

They probably haven't, and they probably don't use the systems in Bangkok either - they just sit in their village or in Pattaya and gripe based on what other people (who also don't live here) post.  They feed off each other's negativity.  I am still flabberghasted that someone suggested there is a one hour delay to use the BTS - one hour!!  Someone else said the government prioritses submarines and doesn't invest in mass transit when there are hundreds of kms of mass transit lines under construction with several new lines and extensions opened recently.

 

Reading this thread, you can see that the people who actually live in Bangkok and use the system daily - and especially those who have lived and worked in other major cities - they almost overwhelmingly appreciate what we have and agree it works pretty well.  Oh, and people who are not just automatically anti Thai everything.

 

It's not perfect, but it is pretty damn good.

I am the OP. The MRT runs fine outside rush hours, far better than the BTS. Nevertheless, you have obviously never seen the gates closed at Sukhhumvhit station, a torrent of people on the upper tier above the escalator, total chaos below in queue. Turnstile backed up 20 deep with tourists and farmers clueless how to use the thing.

 

Below, the queues headed up north, double lines per door reach all the way to the doors of the southbound train - and then bend and shift about.

 

Many people including myself go backward on the south train to get on the train before going north. Many.

 

If you are stuck outside at the gate, it's every bit of an hour to get on a train.

 

I will grant you it's not an every day occurance, but when I saw it Monday evening, I was really thinking all hope is lost.

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Number 6

[PerkinsCuthbert]

Sad to say, but the system (such as it is) is hopelessly inadequate for the exponentially increasing volume of passengers, both local and tourist. Already the BTS and MRT are at near-capacity for much of the day, with queues of commuters at platform level and spilling onto concourse level, faced with waits in 40 degree heat of several trains before they can board during absolute peak hours. The travelling public is fuming - note those stony Thai faces as they wait, or travel jammed up together in overcrowded carriages. 

There are historical reasons for the situation, mostly due to that old Thai bugbear, corruption,  but it is not helpful to discuss them here. The junta, to its credit, has done its best to fast-track development of the urban transport system as a priority, but as always in Thailand, it will be too little, too late when it does arrive. Under present trends, I give it a couple of years before the system starts to melt down. New lines and extensions will alleviate the problem temporarily, but eventually the only solution will be to re-prioritise and reconfigure the whole idea of private and public transport in Bangkok. All else is just sticking plasters.

[ballpoint]

3 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Reading this thread, you can see that the people who actually live in Bangkok and use the system daily - and especially those who have lived and worked in other major cities - they almost overwhelmingly appreciate what we have and agree it works pretty well.

I lived in Bangkok long before the BTS and MRT were there, while they were being built, and after they were up and running.  I know which I prefer, and it's not the first two.  Sitting in traffic unmoving for half an hour, then moving forward a few car lengths before not moving again for another half hour was a real delay, none of this "I had to wait 10 minutes before a train I could board arrived, and it seemed like an hour" stuff.

 

Maybe the OP should move to Tokyo to see a real "broken" commuter service? (Except, of course, neither of them are).  And why isn't the MRT using the same method to get maximum passenger capacity out of its trains?

 

Or, how about Mumbai.  In 2017, an average of 8 people died every day on its commuter trains:

[Just Weird]

17 hours ago, KittenKong said:

When I was on it the other day there was about 5-7 minutes between trains. I dont know about rush hour as nothing would induce me to move around in Bangkok at that time.

 

But if the trains are as frequent as you claim (and this page seems to indicate that 2.5 minutes is the minimum: https://www.bangkokbts.com/bts-timetable.html) then there is still enough room to add more. All trains seems to be at least one carriage short of the full length of the platform as well, from what I saw.

My comment was a response to a poster who was talking about timing during the rush hours.

 

Your link relates to information dated August 2011 and refers to "headway under normal circumstances".

 

"But if the trains are as frequent as you claim..."

They are.  As an example, from Asoke BTS platform, during the rush hours, it is possible to see the next train waiting to leave Nana station as the Asoke train is loading.  The Nana train moves off just after the Asoke train leaves that station and stops at Asoke a minute or so later.   That can also be seen at other stations where there is a line of sight to the previous station.

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, Cadbury said:

For it to make sense to you is a challenge. 

Yes, I said that, but the only reason for my not being able to understand it was that your comment was not factual.

[JTXR]

It's true that the lines at Sukhumvit MRT are incredibly long these days, from 11 am until the end of rush hour.  AS the systems grows, the same will be true at hub stations.  There need to be many more machines selling tokens and ideally many more locations (even outside stations) where prepaid cards can be bought.   System-wide cards (all public transport) and 1-day, 3-day and 7-day passes need to be the eventual goal.

[JTXR]

4 hours ago, Number 6 said:

Many people including myself go backward on the south train to get on the train before going north. Many.

Shhhh, for God's sake.