Airport-link System 60% Completed

[Jai Dee]

Airport-link system 60% completed

The State Railway of Thailand reports that the construction of the airport-link system which connects Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang Airport is 60% completed.

Chairman of the State Railway of Thailand, Siwa Saengmanee (ศิวะ แสงมณี) reveals that the airport-link system is expected to be completed around November 5th this year or within 990 days after the construction contract has taken effect. However, the construction has progressed only 60%, longer than the planned 90%.

The chairman says the contractor earlier requested the State Railway of Thailand to extend the construction contract by 552 days while the latter thought that a further 398 days will be enough to complete the construction. According to the contract, the contractor is subjected to pay three million baht a day if the construction is delayed. At present, the extension period has yet been settled.

As for train cars used in the airport-link system, Mr Siwa says the producer is ready to ship about 20 from 31 cars to Thailand. The rest of them are expected to arrive before the end of this year. The State Railway is now finding parking spaces for the trains.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 04 May 2007

[Crossy]

As for train cars used in the airport-link system, Mr Siwa says the producer is ready to ship about 20 from 31 cars to Thailand. The rest of them are expected to arrive before the end of this year. The State Railway is now finding parking spaces for the trains.

And pretty nice looking trains they are too:-

I hope SRT realise these trains are standard gauge and don't expect to store them in one of their regular depots

[bendix]

It's going to be interesting to see how they price this service. With taxis (IMHO) still very good value, I can't see how it's going to be worth it unless you are travelling alone or the fare is under 50baht.

Even then, people are going to need an onward taxi from wherever the trains drop them off.

[Krub]

It's going to be interesting to see how they price this service. With taxis (IMHO) still very good value, I can't see how it's going to be worth it unless you are travelling alone or the fare is under 50baht.

Even then, people are going to need an onward taxi from wherever the trains drop them off.

It will beat the traffic in many cases, well worth the cost probably

[bino]

Even then, people are going to need an onward taxi from wherever the trains drop them off.

I thought the endpoint was the Phaya Thai Skytrain station...?

[trajan]

Even then, people are going to need an onward taxi from wherever the trains drop them off.

I thought the endpoint was the Phaya Thai Skytrain station...?

yes the endpoint is Phayathai Skytrain station.....you will then be able to connect to the Skytrain and Subway lines....this will be very convenient (as long as you just have hand carry luggage and your final Bangkok destination is near a Skytrain or Subway station----just like in Hong Kong) ...

[samran]

It's going to be interesting to see how they price this service. With taxis (IMHO) still very good value, I can't see how it's going to be worth it unless you are travelling alone or the fare is under 50baht.

Even then, people are going to need an onward taxi from wherever the trains drop them off.

for the first 10 years I suspect it won't be, but as more MRT and Skytrain lines get completed, it is possible that things will change.

I'd personally also like to see SRT (via a professional contractor) run commuter trains on the infratructure being built a la MRT. I'm no expert on train logistics, but I'm guessing the two services could work side by side, opening up the eastern suburbs of BKK to a decent transport system. On that point, expect some bright spark in cabinet to come up with the idea in about 5 years time, when his BMW government provided car can't get him to where he wants to go quickly (even with all the lights turned green for him....).

[ovenman]

I'd personally also like to see SRT (via a professional contractor) run commuter trains on the infratructure being built a la MRT. I'm no expert on train logistics, but I'm guessing the two services could work side by side, opening up the eastern suburbs of BKK to a decent transport system.

That is precisely what the KTMB has done in Kuala Lumpur. There two KTM Komuter lines, one of which operates alongside the regular KTMB mainline service north of Kuala Lumpur to Rawang, and south of KL to Seremban. There are frequent commuter trains running all day, using electrified light rail style cars. If memory serves, the mainline is quadruple-tracked in town near KL Sentral station, and double-tracked further out towards Rawang and Seremban. It wouldn't surprise me any to find out that the KTMB rakes in more revenue from their KTM Komuter operation than they do from their traditional Intercity service.

There is no reason why the SRT couldn't do something similar, offering frequent commuter services north towards Ayuthaya, east towards Chachoengsao, west towards Nakhon Pathom, and south-west on the Mahachai line from Wong Wian Yai station. Nothing is free but one would think that an operation such as this could be up-and-running both more quickly and less expensively than building all new rail lines.

[timonase]

hello,

so it starts at suvanarbhumi and goes to paya thai? is that the same link that come from the airport an goes by srinakarin, pattanakarn, rama9 and if yes are there any stops on the way.

sorry i am a little confused, as i can see the construction from my house on pattanakarn 41 and though i will be linked to it in some way as well.

regards

Timo

[ovenman]

I thought the endpoint was the Phaya Thai Skytrain station...?

yes the endpoint is Phayathai Skytrain station.....you will then be able to connect to the Skytrain and Subway lines....this will be very convenient (as long as you just have hand carry luggage and your final Bangkok destination is near a Skytrain or Subway station----just like in Hong Kong) ...

I thought that the endpoint of the airport rail link was initially to be at Makkasan station (which would offer a direct link to neither the MRT nor the Skytrain)?

[timonase]

yeah thats the one i was talking about, and the one i see from my house.

is that a different one??

regards

Timo

[ovenman]

yeah thats the one i was talking about, and the one i see from my house.

is that a different one??

Yes. Phayathai is a Skytrain station, Makkasan is a station on the SRT eastern line. I was under the impression that the initial plans for the airport railway link were for it to terminate at some to-be-built transportation center at Makkasan, and eventually continue the rail link onwards to Phayathai as a future expansion. But this plan may well have changed... anybody?

[timonase]

also,

are there any stops on the way, or is it a direct connection???

lets say at srinakarin

Edited May 6, 2007 by timonase

[Rinrada]

From Last year reports...

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link

Tags: Transportation

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link is under construction from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the planned City Air Terminal in Makkasan area of Bangkok.

Construction of the line started in 2005. The line is being built by a consortium of B Grimm, STECON and Siemens, and will be owned and operated by State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The estimated cost of the project is 25.9 billion baht.

As of October 2006, the line is 44% complete and is expected to be ready for service in October 2008.

The Airport Link line will be 28.6 km long and elevated for most of its length. Both non-stop Express services (known informally as the Pink Line) and Commuter services (the Red Line) will be operated. Siemens Desiro trainsets, capable of speeds of up to 160 km/h, will be used, with Express journeys taking 15 minutes and Commuter trips 27 minutes.

Express Service

Suvarnabhumi Airport - Makkasan (City Air Terminal - interchange with MRT Blue Line (Phetchaburi Station))

Commuter Service

Suvarnabhumi Airport - Lad Krabang - Thub Chang - Hua Mark - Ramkhamhaeng - Makkasan (City Air Terminal - interchange with MRT Blue Line (Phetchaburi Station)) - Ratchaprarop - Phayathai (interchange with BTS Sukhumvit Line (Phayathai Station))

[timonase]

hello,

thats why i thought and read so far, hua mark being one of the stops and that it will take until next year, october or november.

can somebody update on what is what. this year opening only for express or, ???????????????

regards

Timo

[Soju]

It's going to be interesting to see how they price this service. With taxis (IMHO) still very good value, I can't see how it's going to be worth it unless you are travelling alone or the fare is under 50baht.

Even then, people are going to need an onward taxi from wherever the trains drop them off.

It will beat the traffic in many cases, well worth the cost probably

Agree with Bendix that unless the price is 50 Baht or under it won't make any sense for most passengers being they'll have to transfer to a taxi and any savings will be very minimal at best. Add to that multiple passengers traveling together and the train becomes even a worse deal. I seriously doubt they'll price it anywhere near the 50 Baht mark and so it will likely not see much business except as Krub points out during peak travel times. At those times it could be an advantage to some people in that it could save some time and aggravation.

Isn't the station being built under the Novotel? That means it'll probably take 10 minutes to get to via underground walkway, then likely another 15 minute wait or more for the next train, and then add onto that transfer time to taxi once you reach the City Air Terminal. So if you're adding on 35 minutes extra in waiting/transfer time, it won't be any time advantage even in moderate traffic.

Taxis are just too cheap in Bangkok to make other transportation means from the airport very viable options to be used by the majority of passengers. Perhaps in 10 or 20 years if the cost of taxis goes up significantly the mass transportations methods will become more viable. Lots of people complained about Suvarnabhumi opening up without a rail link, but I don't see it having much of an effect when it does open. I'd say let them take as long as they want to build it. Construction cost should be more of a concern than time.

[yatyisam]

hello,

so it starts at suvanarbhumi and goes to paya thai? is that the same link that come from the airport an goes by srinakarin, pattanakarn, rama9 and if yes are there any stops on the way.

sorry i am a little confused, as i can see the construction from my house on pattanakarn 41 and though i will be linked to it in some way as well.

regards

Timo

Yes, that is the same link that you see under construction now.... it more or less runs parallel to Rama 9. There is a map at the official "Airport Rail Link" website that shows that there are two lines -- an express and a local. The local goes to PhayaThai BTS station, the express stops at Makkasan.

The map is at: http://www.airportraillink.com/map.html

Yesterday I noticed that the big station at Makkasan is starting to take shape. I could see a huge white frame that will give the curved roof its shape. A picture of what that station will look like is also on the same website: http://www.airportraillink.com/makkasan.html

[Zoowatch]

hi there

let me clarify some of the confusions here

the 28.6 km airport rail link comprises of 2 regular services

one is the express service running non-stop from the Makkasan City Airport Terminal to Suvarnabhumi .... 100 THB a trip with plenty of baggage space provided... departing every 15 minutes

the other is the commuter service running between Phaya Thai and Suvarnabhumi .... 35 THB per trip with seats layout similar to the BTS / MRT with frequency expected to be 10 to 15 minutes depending on the time of the day... if the commuter service is proven to be successful... the frequency can be increased to 7 to 8 minutes..

fares structure for the commuter service is being finalised... i.e. charged according to distance... capped at 35THB

there stations along this route, namely

Suvarnabhumi Airport (underground)

Lat Krabang (close to King Mongkut Insitute of Technology Lat Krabang [KMITL])

Thap Chang (close to Eastern Outer Ring Road; Prawet district)

Hua Mak (close to Th. Si Nakharin; Jusco)

Ramkhamhaeng (close to Khlong Tan intersection & former Nasa Vegas)

Makkasan (City Airport Terminal; connect with MRT)

Ratchaprarop (close to Pratunam) and

Phaya Thai (connect with BTS)

Suvarnabhumi Airport station is underground and was built together with the airport terminal (i.e. already completed)

the station is found DIRECTLY below the terminal (2 floors below the arrival level... accessible by the 'lazy escalator' & the elevator

because... the station is perpendicular to the terminal... the northern part of the station was under the Novotel lobby while the southern part is just below the terminal...

the station is accessible from both the terminal and from novotel lobby

rest assured.... there's no need to walk all the way to Novotel to get to the rail link station

the express service will use a 4-car train configuration with forward / backward seats relative to the direction in which the train travels

one of the 4 cars may be used for luggage storage... but this is not confirmed

the commuter service will use a 3-car train configuration with parallel seating... similar to that of BTS / MRT

the trains used requires a standard gauge with overhead electrification (each train will have a pantograph)

the trains are manufactured in Britain by Siemens UK... Desiro class 360/2.... quite similar to the new Heathrow Connect trains

hence, the seats are expected to be cushioned with British style upholstery (brightly contrasting colours of fabric, seat frame and handle bar)

the first sets of trains are scheduled to arrive Thailand's Laem Chabang this coming October....

first set of train was completed in late March 2007

the speed in which the trains travel is expected to be higher than those of BTS / MRT trains (i.e. ARL > MRT > BTS)

[Zoowatch]

there will be a station close to Phatthanakan Soi 41...

Hua Mak station is about 500 meters away

the station is on the same side as Jusco.... 50 meters off Th. Si Nakharin.

the Phaya Thai - Makkasan - Suvarnabhumi is the first phase of the Light Red line.... the end point is definitely at Phaya Thai although the Express service terminates at Makkasan.

the second phase for the Red Lines will be Bang Sue - Taling Chan and Bang Sue - Rangsit... (note that the 1st and 2nd phase lines will not be connected until the 3rd phase running from Bang Sue to Makkasan and Hua Lamphong is completed)

the travel time for Makkasan to Suvarnabhumi is about 15 minutes on the express service while it'd take slightly below 1/2 hour to travel from Phaya Thai to the airport on the commuter service.

THAI and Star Alliance will be providing city check-in facilities at Makkasan when this is completed (similar to HK)

if the CAT (city airport terminal) becomes popular eventually... it will help relief the congestion at Suvarnabhumi departure hall a little).

IMO, the fares charged by the ARL is pretty cheap if you look at the ticket prices of other airport rail links across the world. look at heathrow express / KLIA ekpres etc...

of course, to maintain high reliability, safety and good services, i think we deserve to pay a little more

taxi may be a good alternative, but getting an honest driver + no jam + no jewellery scam + no speeding & reckless driving is really matter of good luck

for the ARL... its main selling points are clear and although it may not get u to your final destination w/o a transfer, it offers something that taxi can't provide... a consistency of service level... and it is always good to know what to expect upon arrival

besides, riding on the Suvarnbumi ARL offers the best view when travelling to and from the city... this will create a better impression of Bangkok for 1st-time visitors....

and u may already know, almost the entire length is elevated and running in straight lines... elevated to a level that's often higher than the expressway... esp. as it gets close to the city....

to give u an idea of how high this will eventually get.... imagine a station and viaduct that's high enough to run above BTS Phaya Thai station....

the ARL will operate from 6 to midnight... similar to BTS and MRT

its depot is based on Khlong Tan (close to Ekkamai Nua / Bangkok Hospital's Soi Sun Wichai)

it is widely expected that SRT will set up a daughter company to operate this service...

Edited May 7, 2007 by Zoowatch

[cclub75]

At last an interesting and informative post !

Thank you Zoowatch for this detailed post.

[Zoowatch]

more pictures here

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.p...791&page=28

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.p...791&page=31

full-size photos can be viewed on my Flickr page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoowatch/

Edited May 7, 2007 by Zoowatch

[timonase]

zoowatch,

thanks allot for the informative posts. i guess there are no more open questions from my side.

thanks again.

regards

Timo

[Soju]

Thanks Zoowatch for that great report. I've never seen most of the information you provided there. I'm actually quite surprised at the 35 baht price for a commuter train. That would be great if they can do it at that price. 100 baht though for the non-stop seems to be too high. The prices may be cheaper than other places, but you're competing with ultra-cheap taxis in Bangkok that aren't available in most other cities. 70 baht to me seems like a much more reasonable price. You do bring up some good points about the taxis, but ultimately a taxi is the most convenient cheap transportation method for the vast majority of passengers and they're willing to live with it unless someone gives them a good reason to use an alternative. Your reasons may be good for some, but probably not good enough for the majority of passengers.

But the one thing that will absolutely kill any hope of me being able to use the train with any regularity are the way too short operating hours. Many of my trips involve flights that arrive after midnight and depart at about 06:00, meaning I should arrive no later than 05:00. But for people who arrive/depart during the day, and especially during rush hour it sounds like a decent alternative if designed the way you describe it. Many airports around the world have none or extremely limited late night or early morning flights. BKK however is very busy even at midnight and also in the early morning, so trying to match other airport train link operating hours is meaningless. Just have a look around the airport at 05:00 or 06:00 and you'll see huge crowds sometime. I think it's a huge mistake not having the train run 24 hours, or at least 22 hours from 04:00 till 02:00. I can see not running the express train during extended hours, but the standard trains should be. Heck, at 35 baht you'd get lots of airport workers looking to use the trains as well. The standard airport buses run 24 hours that these workers use to get to/from their job, so why shouldn't the train as well?

[onzestan]

Thanks Zoowatch,

Very informative and without embellishment.

I guess it's upto everybody to make his own choice as to which mode of transport is most suitable to them.

If traveling light and alone I would not hesitate to take the train, mostly because I don't like to

confront traffic situations that can deteriorate quite rapidly and unexpectedly, however with small

groups the price factor might prove to be a hurdle, plus carrying a lot of baggage.

Anyway great info.

Thanks

onzestan

[Soju]

one is the express service running non-stop from the Makkasan City Airport Terminal to Suvarnabhumi .... 100 THB a trip with plenty of baggage space provided... departing every 15 minutes

the other is the commuter service running between Phaya Thai and Suvarnabhumi .... 35 THB per trip with seats layout similar to the BTS / MRT with frequency expected to be 10 to 15 minutes depending on the time of the day... if the commuter service is proven to be successful... the frequency can be increased to 7 to 8 minutes..

fares structure for the commuter service is being finalised... i.e. charged according to distance... capped at 35THB

the travel time for Makkasan to Suvarnabhumi is about 15 minutes on the express service while it'd take slightly below 1/2 hour to travel from Phaya Thai to the airport on the commuter service.

One question - is there a double set of tracks to allow the express and regular trains to run independently or extra tracks at the stations to allow the express trains to pass the regular trains there? If not, the express trains seem pretty worthless except for passengers wanting to take advantage of their luggage space. But even if they can pass the regular trains, what sort of a time difference are we talking about? If the regular train makes it to Phaya Thai in under 30 minutes, then I'm guessing it will reach Makkasan within 20 or 25 minutes, vs. 15 minutes for the express. So you pay 3x the price for saving 5 or 10 minutes, but actually have to wait maybe 5 minutes more for the express vs. the regular train (regular trains have a higher frequency than express trains). So actually almost no time will be saved on average. I doubt you'll get that many passengers on the express trains if they realize how little time they'll be saving. If I was taking the train and if cost wasn't a consideration, I'd simply get on the next train that was departing. I'd prefer to get on the first train and sit down in the air conditioning even if it takes me 5 minutes longer rather than stand and wait for the next express train.

I travel light, with typically only one carry-on so I don't really need the baggage space of the express train. But if I was traveling with a lot of luggage, I'd opt for a taxi the full way unless the transfer process (with luggage) is super easy at Makkasan. If it's a pain to lug my baggage out of the train station and into a cab I'll just get a cab directly from the airport and save the hassle of having to deal with my luggage an extra time. If you're talking about Tokyo, London, or any place where a taxi would cost a fortune from the airport to the city, then yeah I'd put up with a bit of inconvenience to save a lot of money. So in those cases trains which can accommodate passengers with lots of luggage are a necessity, and express trains are also used extensively due to such long distances from airport to city. But again, due to super cheap taxis in Bangkok, you have to look at the totally different economics there and don't just blindly copy what other cities are doing.

[pansted00]

Zoewatch ,

Since you are so well informed , maybe you can also touch on the subject of who is actually building the tracks and with what kind of track components.

[ovenman]

the ARL will operate from 6 to midnight... similar to BTS and MRT

It's really too bad this won't be a twenty-four hour operation, or at least be in service for the midnight arrivals and 06:00 departures that are common if traveling to/from the US.

[lomatopo]

One question - is there a double set of tracks to allow the express and regular trains to run independently or extra tracks at the stations to allow the express trains to pass the regular trains there?

As I understand it there are double tracks at the intermediate "Commuter" stations which will allow the "Express" to pass "Commuter" trains.

[Zoowatch]

One question - is there a double set of tracks to allow the express and regular trains to run independently or extra tracks at the stations to allow the express trains to pass the regular trains there?

As I understand it there are double tracks at the intermediate "Commuter" stations which will allow the "Express" to pass "Commuter" trains.

he's right

there's a double track at Hua Mak station to let the express service pass through

so even if the commuter service was the first to leave Suvarnabhumi station... the express service leaving 5 minutes later will overtake the cummuter train at Hua Mak.

but I must agree with you that the 10- to 12-minutes time savings may not be worth the extra fare, despite the extra storage area.

besides, many tourists will want to travel all the way to Phaya Thai and change to BTS.... hence it is not expected that the express service will be a great success.

i must agree with you about the cost of riding these trains.... when compared to the super-cheap taxis in Bangkok, the 100 baht is really no good deal...

but bear in mind that in today's Dailynews, the Dept of Land Transport is considering increasing the starting taxi fare from 35 to 40 THB... even then, the cab fare is still pretty competitive.

however, I feel that this service needs to be able to sustain itself (i.e. at least cover its day-to-day operational costs, not counting the initial sum of investment).

any fare lower than this will probably compromise safety and the quality of station / train maintenance.

with regards to operation time, the authority has considered extending the 6 to 12 a.m. to a 20- or 21-hour service... but they would like to first see the initial response (i.e. the ridership).

please note that despite the 6 to 12 operation time stated, the first train in service usually begin before 6 and the last train will run well beyond midnight.

the 6-12 mentioned refers to the full train service with guaranteed frequency and connection to your final destination (e.g. if you board a BTS service at midnight from any station, you're guaranteed a connection at Siam and a full train service to any of the BTS stations)

i am fully aware that there are many 24-hour systems around the world... but none of the mass transit lines in thailand actually operate 24/7 on a permanent basis because of one important reason.... safety

from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. maintenance rolling stocks will examine every inch of the track (looking for cracks) and staffs will do a check on signalling equipments... this has been happening on both the BTS and MRT... night after night... and will also be the same for the ARL...

during these hours, you might be able to see some welding works going on along BTS lines at 3 a.m. or you might have heard of "tunnel walks" among MRT station managers... hence, shutting the entire system down on a daily basis is also important for a modern mass transit system to ensure the highest standard of safety... and in a land where safety is not always everyone's priority... i am happy that at least on mass transit lines, the working attitude towards safety is comparable to those in the west. the 5-hour daily shut down time can be reduced to 3, but that's really a stretch on the maintenance workers.

the tracks and the signalling systems are installed by B Grimm / STECON and Siemens respectively. i have no idea about the exact components in which the tracks are made of, but it will made of steel and concrete ties for extra durability.... very similar to the MRT system.... in fact some people have joked that you can actually put the MRT train on the ARL and it will still work.

back to the purpose of having 2 separate services on the ARL.

I'd like you to look at the big picture of when the 2nd and 3rd phase of the Red Lines are completed.... by then the ARL will become a just the eastern section of the Red Lines.

the Red Lines are supposed to stretch much further in the suburbs of Bangkok, often stretching into neighbouring provinces.

therefore, stations are much further apart than the "real" urban mass transit systems (i.e. the Green, Blue, Purple Lines) to allows the the Red Lines to transport people from the suburb into central Bangkok as fast as possible.

there're 4 phases for the Red Lines, but when the 2nd and 3rd phase are finished, the Express service will travel from Suvarnabhumi to Makkasan, then to Bang Sue and terminate at Don Mueang (3-stops along the way... allowing fast trasfer between airports of about 45 minutes)

meanwhile the commuter service (Light Red Line) will continue from Phaya Thai to Bang Sue via Yommarat, then travel westwards towards Taling Chan.

the (Dark Red Line) commuter service will run from Rangsit to Bang Sue via Don Mueang, then travel down south to Hua Lamphong via Yommarat. (when the 4th phase is ready, the Dark Red Line will go beyond Hua Lamphong and ends at Mahachai in Samut Sakhon province)

As you can see, the Red Lines will become the backbone of Bangkok mass transit and it is expected to carry the most no. of passengers each day.

In short, there are 3 main reasons as to why both express and commuter services are necessary in the long-term:

1) large no. of passengers / serving as mass transit backbone

2) the Red Line will stretch along a greater distance

3) a strategic reason of connecting two airports serving the city... and also linking them to the town and the City Airport Terminal.

i know that this sound pretty much like a lofty plan that's too good to happen in Thailand, but everyone including myself is keeping our fingers crossed.

the ARL is not meant to make a lot of money before other sections of the Red Lines are completed (nobody in the govt is expecting that)... even KLIA Ekpres is not making money today.

it's more about providing choices for air travellers and creating a better first impression among tourists.

despite the difficult times thailand is facing now, I am still glad that the spirit of creating a modern public transport for Bangkok is pretty much alive today. Everyone in BMA / Central Govt knows that this is important to the economy and a great boost to the capital as a whole. The media is keenly following such news all the time. Bangkok residents is still demanding it. Politicians know that delivering such promise is the best mehtod of attracting voters... so at least the atmospere is quite conducive now for a leap in mass transit developement, at least for a city that have always mistaken roads and expressways to be a lasting solution to traffic woes.

Let's hope all this is not just hot air or another flip-flop policy.

Edited May 8, 2007 by Zoowatch

[Zoowatch]

construction updates (with plenty of photos) can be seen here:

please be patient, the server is a little slow

April 29th 2007

http://www.thaitransport-photo.net/modules...asc&start=0