BTS adds 27 more trains to serve Bangkok commuters

[webfact]

BTS adds 27 more trains to serve Bangkok commuters

 

 

Bangkok commuters should experience an improved service on the BTS sky train system after BTS Group Holdings Plc, the operator of the system, recently put into service an additional 27 trains, bringing the total number to 79.

 

BTS managing director Mr. Surapong Laoha-anya said that the company has taken delivery of 27 trains out of a total of 46 it has ordered from the supplier.

 

He added that all the new trains will have been delivered by the end of next year, bringing the total number available for operations to 98, from its original fleet of 35 in 1999.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bts-adds-27-more-trains-to-serve-bangkok-commuters/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-08-29

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[mok199]

This is welcome news..

Edited August 28, 2019 by mok199

[notasmartassknowitallfarag]

This must use these and more to increase the frequency of trains coming to stations, because currently we are packed like sardines and they have been making great profits the past number of years.  

[petedk]

This must use these and more to increase the frequency of trains coming to stations, because currently we are packed like sardines and they have been making great profits the past number of years.  

I agree. The new trains are used because of the extension of the lines.
The frequency hasn't improved.

Why don't they add carriages to the existing trains, especially in rush hour? That would help a lot.

Sent from my SM-C710F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[newnative]

As mentioned above, add more cars to all the trains, not just BTS.  They're all packed.

[Searat7]

Adding carriages to the 20 yr old original trains from Siemens in Germany would take a long time because it would be a special order but this would be the best solution to improve service. (Change to 5 car trains)

 

The real shame is with the MRT main line which is still operating the same 3 car trains since it opened in August 2004. They should combine an order with BTS as the carriages used are nearly identical. The MRT needs 5 car trains too. 

[tomazbodner]

In other news, original 20 years old Siemens trains are often still in better shape than the new Chinese rubbish they bought a couple of years back...

[wpcoe]

Does the article mean 27 more trains, or 27 more train cars?

[Cadbury]

1 hour ago, newnative said:

As mentioned above, add more cars to all the trains, not just BTS.  They're all packed.

Increasing the number of cars (BTS or MRT) for the comfort of the passengers would only increase their power and other costs and effectively reduce their overall profit. I doubt that sacrificing profits for public amenity is in their business plans. This is Thailand where money is God.

I also doubt they care whether you or I feel like a sardine. But I must admit, being a closet lech, there are occasions when I find it agreeably cosy when we are all squeezed in together.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Cadbury

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, newnative said:

As mentioned above, add more cars to all the trains, not just BTS.  They're all packed.

 

I've just come back from Singapore, where the trains are longer and wider and run twice as frequently as the BTS and there is no hint of overcrowding even during rush hours. And some lines, maybe all, don't even use drivers. Everything is automatic.

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, wpcoe said:

Does the article mean 27 more trains, or 27 more train cars?

 

Complete 4-car trainsets.

[Ketyo]

The sukhumvit line has 50 stations. It goes a long way out both directions.

 

I wonder why they continue to extend and extend.

 

By the time the train gets downtown it is often too full for people to get on.

 

Why don't they build more lines instead of making one very very very long line.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Ketyo
Change

[paulbrow]

5 hours ago, petedk said:

I agree. The new trains are used because of the extension of the lines.
The frequency hasn't improved.

Why don't they add carriages to the existing trains, especially in rush hour? That would help a lot.

Sent from my SM-C710F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Since the stations are built to accomodate 6 cars per train, it would seem logical (not a Thai word) to increase each train to 6 cars rather than adding more trains. I don't think frequency of trains is the real issue.

[moe666]

6 hours ago, Searat7 said:

Adding carriages to the 20 yr old original trains from Siemens in Germany would take a long time because it would be a special order but this would be the best solution to improve service. (Change to 5 car trains)

 

The real shame is with the MRT main line which is still operating the same 3 car trains since it opened in August 2004. They should combine an order with BTS as the carriages used are nearly identical. The MRT needs 5 car trains too. 

Actually it opened 5 Dec. 1999, it only had about 200,000 passengers a day not enough to cover the construction loan

[Skeptic7]

Better late than never. About time! Long overdue, but still welcome news. 

[josephbloggs]

10 hours ago, Cadbury said:

This is Thailand where money is God.

 

So in the UK (or anywhere else) a private company would invest millions for your comfort or so you don't have to wait four minutes for the next train?

In which country do private businesses run for your convenience and not profit?
 

[josephbloggs]

10 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I've just come back from Singapore, where the trains are longer and wider and run twice as frequently as the BTS and there is no hint of overcrowding even during rush hours. And some lines, maybe all, don't even use drivers. Everything is automatic.

Absolute rubbish.  Most lines have drivers. And even the "driverless" lines (only 3 lines) have now added drivers to improve reliability.  And they are not nearly as frequent as the BTS.  Singapore usually has a 4-6 minute headway depending on the line and time of day.  BTS is less than two minutes at peak times.  Normally you can see the train behind waiting at the next station.

Singapore trains are longer though, you got that bit right.

[Cadbury]

17 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

So in the UK (or anywhere else) a private company would invest millions for your comfort or so you don't have to wait four minutes for the next train?

In which country do private businesses run for your convenience and not profit?
 

I have already made that point in my post viz........."I doubt that sacrificing profits for public amenity is in their business plans".

Why do you repeat what I have already said. I urge you to try to think of something original.

No cigar for a failed troll I'm afraid.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And buried down at the bottom of the Thai PBS article, and not quoted here on TVF, was the following:

Quote

 

He admitted that there is a restriction on the Silom Line due to the bottleneck at Taksin station, where trains are required to share a single section of track.

However, he said the company is in the process of getting permission from the Rural Highway Department and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to expand the section to dual tracks.

 

 

I wonder if that means they've abandoned their erstwhile plans to demolish the current Taksin station in order to accomplish the double tracking. Haven't heard anything in a long while about the related grand "people-mover" plan to connect the Surasak and Taksin station locations.

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[josephbloggs]

23 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

I have already made that point in my post viz........."I doubt that sacrificing profits for public amenity is in their business plans".

Why do you repeat what I have already said. I urge you to try to think of something original.

No cigar for a failed troll I'm afraid.

 

And then you went on to say "This is Thailand where money is God" as though companies wishing to make money is unique to here.  

[wpcoe]

20 hours ago, wpcoe said:

Does the article mean 27 more trains, or 27 more train cars?

 

19 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Complete 4-car trainsets.

That really is impressive, then.  They went from 52 to 79 trains, which is more than a 50% increase in the number of trains.

Edited August 29, 2019 by wpcoe

[DaRoadrunner]

20 minutes ago, wpcoe said:

That really is impressive, then.  They went from 52 to 79 trains, which is more than a 50% increase in the number of trains.

Not really impressive, they just bought more trains. It would have been better if there had been some forward 'planning' (not a Thai word) and they had built longer stations to accommodate longer trains.

[dimitriv]

22 hours ago, petedk said:

I agree. The new trains are used because of the extension of the lines.
The frequency hasn't improved.

Why don't they add carriages to the existing trains, especially in rush hour? That would help a lot.

Sent from my SM-C710F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

They are already using the new lines with the trains which are already in service. Adding new trains should make a difference...

 

Adding carriages is not always possible. Some stations are not made for longer trains. Engines of trains must be strong enough for more carriages. And the electricity can be a problem. There must be enough electricity to provide for a longer train. And in total there must be enough electricity on a line for more trains. It can be possible. But there are enough reasons why it might not be possible.

 

Problems with electricity are a reason why in my country we have lines with only 4 trains an hour. The line doesn't have enough electricity for more trains.

  

 

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by dimitriv

[Curt1591]

21 hours ago, Searat7 said:

The real shame is with the MRT main line which is still operating the same 3 car trains since it opened in August 2004. They should combine an order with BTS as the carriages used are nearly identical. The MRT needs 5 car trains too. 

Maybe they could just remove all the seats !

Can't wait for the other new extensions to open. It should get really cozy then!

[josephbloggs]

3 hours ago, DaRoadrunner said:

Not really impressive, they just bought more trains. It would have been better if there had been some forward 'planning' (not a Thai word) and they had built longer stations to accommodate longer trains.

Er, they did. The stations were built to accommodate longer trains. Have you actually been on the BTS? 

[wpcoe]

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

Er, they did. The stations were built to accommodate longer trains. Have you actually been on the BTS? 

ISTR, the platforms were all built fto accommodate a six-car train?

[notasmartassknowitallfarag]

15 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

So in the UK (or anywhere else) a private company would invest millions for your comfort or so you don't have to wait four minutes for the next train?

In which country do private businesses run for your convenience and not profit?
 

When first built it was for an alternative transport method. Now with the ever increasing traffic jams it is the main source of transport. 

 

They have also increased the stations by a huge amount. It use to only go to On Nut for example. 

 

Profits will have increased 10 fold with amounts of people using the system and price increases.

 

Some of this money SHOULD be pumped back in based on the evidence above. 

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, wpcoe said:

ISTR, the platforms were all built fto accommodate a six-car train?

Yes, correct.

[lootarzoon]

On 8/29/2019 at 9:50 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I've just come back from Singapore, where the trains are longer and wider and run twice as frequently as the BTS and there is no hint of overcrowding even during rush hours. And some lines, maybe all, don't even use drivers. Everything is automatic.

Come back from Paris, long trains every 2 or 3 mns.. Too good... 

[Dnyy]

On 8/29/2019 at 8:59 AM, tomazbodner said:

In other news, original 20 years old Siemens trains are often still in better shape than the new Chinese rubbish they bought a couple of years back...

That was maybe the case 20 years ago but look at Siemens trains in Germany. Breaking down because it's too hot, too cold, too snowy, too windy, too dark, too early and so on.