Skytrain Nightmare

[Crossy]

The software can cope with this provided that all trains are 6 cars. Unfortunately it can't cope with a mixture of 3 car and 6 car trains.

Yep. Frankly I'm amazed that the system originally installed cannot cope with mixed train configurations.

I believe that the system being installed for the Taksin extension will be able to cope with a mixture of 3 and 6 car trains. This new system is supposedly going to be installed across the entire BTS in the next few years at which time we will finally get a transit system that can cope with the numbers who want to use it.

The metro in Rotterdam runs trains of 2, 4, 6 and 8 cars mixed throughout the day. Platform information boards display the size of the next train so you can move to the area of the platform where the train will stop. Rotterdam is quite an old system, if they can do it why not here?

[ovenman]

Rotterdam is quite an old system, if they can do it why not here?

Why do anything "right" the first time when it can be done in stages, at additional cost and (most importantly) with extra opportunity afforded to line the appropriate pockets multiple times?

[janj]

You obviously have never travelled on the Tokyo train network at rush hour time !

I came back to Bangkok after studying abroad in Tokyo for four months... The first time I saw passengers stop crowding to wait for the next train shocked me. That would never happen in Tokyo! I was sure at least twenty more people could have fit in at each car. Believe me, we enjoy a tremendous amount of breathing room on the BTS compared to what I endured on my morning and afternoon commutes in Japan. Plus, people are much kinder on the trains here. I have never seen a local Japanese person yield their seat for the elderly or parents with small children, only tourists and gaijin did that! Here, I see it on a daily basis.

[ovenman]

Quick quiz: Where is the longest platform in the world?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

No, กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธ is longer I think.

Nice tries but the longest railway platform in the world is 1072 meters long and found in India at Kharagpur, West Bengal.

[himachal]

Quick quiz: Where is the longest platform in the world?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

No, กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธ is longer I think.

Nice tries but the longest railway platform in the world is 1072 meters long and found in India at Kharagpur, West Bengal.

Correctamundo! well done. India also holds the record for highest number of railway workers and highest number of passengers swept off a train's roof by scaffolding left in a tunnel undergoing repairs.

[wolf5370]

Quick quiz: Where is the longest platform in the world?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Thought this was the second longest

Only because the Welsh forgot to put in most of the vowels

I remember them being empty. I rode it the first yar - ice cold air-con. Three people a carraige (50% seemd to be farangs too). Oh, those were the days.

[wolf5370]

Quick quiz: Where is the longest platform in the world?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

No, กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธ is longer I think.

Nice tries but the longest railway platform in the world is 1072 meters long and found in India at Kharagpur, West Bengal.

Correctamundo! well done. India also holds the record for highest number of railway workers and highest number of passengers swept off a train's roof by scaffolding left in a tunnel undergoing repairs.

So thats 2 killometers worth of passangers (one lot inside - one lot on top trying to avoid the scaffolding) - I think the highest number of Indian railway workers must be in London

[kiakaha]

Is it just me or has the BTS Skytrain got even more packed during rush hours over the last few months?

I have been taking it twice a day for 3 years at 8.30am and 6.30pm and i've never seen it so regularly packed with hundreds of people all squashed into each others armpits. It gets like this during lunchtimes now as well. Often I cannot get on the first train and have to wait for the second or third train to arrive.

Maybe the rising cost of petrol is making more people take the skytrain, but personally my commute to /from work each day has become so unbearable that I find myself dreaming of getting a car and sitting in a traffic jam for 2 hours.

The problem will get even worse when the extensions open with more people getting on trains that are having to cover further distances. There is space on the platforms to add another car to each train, so why oh why won't they do it? Surely now is the time to do so. Someone should start a petition.

try living in japan.

[petedk]

One of the problems here is that many people refuse to move inside the carriage. Most people tend to stand near the doors blocking the entrances. I have often seen people wait for the next train when there has been plenty of room inside the carriage. (This also goes for buses and boats)

I mention that it is ONE of the problems. Yes, sometimes the train is absolutely packed and I agree BTS needs to add more carriages in the rush hour.

[Steele404]

I do not understand why u guys never discuss about the frequency of the trains?

I would rather have a 2 car train that arrives at 2 minutes intervals than to have a 4 car train that arrives at 4 minutes intervals.

They should increase the frequency more during rush hour times. Right now, if i remember correctly, intervals between trains during peak hour are 2.5 mins instead of the regular 4-6 mins.

btw, this is a video from Youtube that will make you appreciate the BTS.

"Only in Japan"

[poolie]

Just watched that youtube clip in Japan and its "unbelievable"

[Losangels]

One of the main reasons is that they don't have enough Baht to buy additional trains. They are currently losing money and in the process of restructing the loan.

Yes riding the public transportation in Tokyo is nothing compared to the amount of people here on the skytrain, overthere I can let go of my briefcase without having it fall on the floor...amazing isn't it?

[girlx]

ha- that youtube video was pretty funny... NY subway is similar too, the BTS is cake in comparison.

[Nordlys]

That Tokyo commuter train video clip is a very old one judging from the design of station employees and the train carriage (probably from 20 years ago during the days of "JNR" before its privatization). I don't think they wear that hat any more and most commuter train doors in Tokyo are much larger than that these days (and more doors).

I've experienced something close to that only once in Tokyo when a confusion and chaos was caused by disruption in time table when someone jumped into the train at another station on the line I happened to be using one particular day during rush hour. There was a looong queue of people on platfrom all the way to the end of the wall and I didn't know how the hel_l I'd get into the train. Could not get into the first train that arrived. Not the second one either. I was wondering if I could make it on the third train when it arrived thinking I probably can't, but next I knew I was already deep inside the train pushed by the wave of people behind me (no station employees cramming passengers inside). And yes, the briefcase doesn't fall. But then I started worrying how the hel_l I'd get out of this packed train when it gets to my destination. These days it seems better than BTS so long you avoid rush hour (but then I don't know what BTS is like during rush hour). I hope they turn that noisy/irritating TV that only shows advertisement off during rush hour.

[Jimjim]

I hope they turn that noisy/irritating TV that only shows advertisement off during rush hour.

I doubt they care what you think on the subject as rush hour would seem the ideal time to advertise, wouldn't it?

[DickDastardly]

Obviously braking distances etc would be significantly different for a 6 car train.

This I do not understand, am I missing something or will the new carriages not have brakes?

[bergen]

Obviously braking distances etc would be significantly different for a 6 car train.

This I do not understand, am I missing something or will the new carriages not have brakes?

You probably have to wait another few years to get the ones with brakes

[bonobo]

A little OT, but does anyone have any good information on when the two new stations over Sapham Taksin and into Thon Buri will be open? I have heard several dates (a few which have already come and gone).

I haven't seen any work being done for quite some time, and they sure look ready to receive trains.

[on-on]

A little OT, but does anyone have any good information on when the two new stations over Sapham Taksin and into Thon Buri will be open? I have heard several dates (a few which have already come and gone).

I haven't seen any work being done for quite some time, and they sure look ready to receive trains.

The last date I read was testing to begin in August and the official opening set for March. Still, the problem I read was the interface between the new control system that the new stations want to use and the old control system that the existing stations use. Of course as this is a logistical problem AND a political problem from what I've read (apparently the other side of the river has a different governmental transit body - and the Thonburi side don't agree with the Bangkok side?) I see no reason to believe that anything will be resolved on time given the general level of disarray in government and particularly given the current heightened level of disarray in government.

Then again I'm just some guy that's read a few articles and Op/Eds on the topic, not an expert.

[CbrLad]

Obviously braking distances etc would be significantly different for a 6 car train.

This I do not understand, am I missing something or will the new carriages not have brakes?

To make a 6 car train all you do is join two 3 car trains together, you don't add new carriages into the existing sets. However joining two together quite clearly increases the overall weight of the train, which in turns effects braking and acceleration of the train.

Now considering these trains are off the shelf Siemens trains, I cannot see any reason why they are not capable of running in mixed mode operation. From what the missus has told me the real reason they do not run more carriages is they simply do not have any spare to run.

Having said that I agree with what someone else has said in that I would rather see a more frequent service before increasing the train lengths to 6 car trains. I guess doing that requires an extra driver which increases the costs, but considering this is Thailand we are talking about the cost should be minimal compared to the overall running costs of the system.

[alexth]

Is it just me or has the BTS Skytrain got even more packed during rush hours over the last few months?

And noticeabley less cars on road for the last month or so...

Could it have something to do with the gas prices?