Airport Link Pointless?

[JohnGotti]

meh. you don't know how much he has had to drink, whether his glasses are updated or if the 12 yr old crapbox will make it all the way to your door. of course, if by VALUE you just mean CHEAP... its kinda weird to me that people would actually bother to look/heavily consider the pricing of taxi vs airport link as opposed to solely comfort, are you going to let the savings of less than 100 baht sway your decision? but to each his own i suppose.

[Rinrada]

I never pay the 50 baht extra to come back, either.

Why not?

Just go to ARRIVALS and catch a green and yellow from there (ignore the wee men with the whistles)and always insist on meter.

Since our Bangers gaffs are in Sam Prat (Tessaban-off Shri Nak)we always take the taxis anyway so the sky train should get rid of a lot of waiting tourists and give us a better and poss even cheaper jolli.

Mention of London Heathrow..again we take the Piccadilly line direct to Noth London (Oakwood) and from there a £5 mini cab home does it ...got a Freedom Pass so tube costs nuffin....and

latest price on Singapore Airways ...London -Bangkok.£329 r/t incl Taxes.

[astral]

Practicality is very important.

I recently used the link from London Heathrow to Paddington.

I just took my trolley from the baggage collection area to the train,

all flat, except for one large lift stage.

The carriages are designed with large areas for the storage of bags.

The only complaint was no trolleys at Paddington.

[scorecard]

I'm rather lucky.

I live in Bkk but fly in and out regularly, often just day a trip to Singapore.

Fortunately I live very close to Makkasan. When I fly with just a computer bag (often) I will be able to walk from Makkasan to home in ten minutes. If I have more luggage, I'll be able to conveniently use taxi coming or going, less than 10 minute trip.

[Time Traveller]

If you've ever tried to get a taxi from sathorn on a friday evening ahead of a long weekend, then the train is worth it. Sometimes you can be waiting an hour for a vacant taxi so the option to travel by train is great.

[tw25rw]

It might just be the making of that Phetburi Rd area, taking the focus off Sukhumvit in the long run.

[bubba]

I'm rather lucky.

I live in Bkk but fly in and out regularly, often just day a trip to Singapore.

Fortunately I live very close to Makkasan. When I fly with just a computer bag (often) I will be able to walk from Makkasan to home in ten minutes. If I have more luggage, I'll be able to conveniently use taxi coming or going, less than 10 minute trip.

Sounds like you might just be one of the couple of hundred people who find the Makkasan station convenient and easy to get to. Walking, that is. I've been driving in the traffic at Asoke/Makkasan many times during the day when I moved less than one metre in ten minutes. Maybe less than 100 metres in 20 minutes!

[Phatcharanan]

those first stations before makkasan, is the intention to make those interchange stations in the future?

and this might be a dumb question, but how does bangkok have an underground MRT system when the city is supposedly sinking and below water level?

How does the UK have a tunnel linking it to France?

Edited June 22, 2009 by Phatcharanan

[Jimjim]

I know, boggles the mind, modern engineering.

[JohnGotti]

yeah, that slipped my mind. i have also taken the hong kong subway which goes underwater atleast three dozen times. pretty cool.

Edited June 22, 2009 by JohnGotti

[Jimjim]

It sounded like a silly question considering Hong Kong and the Chunnel, but really, I'm sure it took a lot of smart engineering in Bangkok to make the MRT work, because it is true that the water is not too far under our feets in many parts of the city.

[bubba]

those first stations before makkasan, is the intention to make those interchange stations in the future?

and this might be a dumb question, but how does bangkok have an underground MRT system when the city is supposedly sinking and below water level?

Many underground systems are situated below the groundwater table. I just did a quick google and found that New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Hamburg, London, St. Petersburg (Russia) all have underground systems that are below the water table at places along their routes.

[thaihome]

If you've ever tried to get a taxi from sathorn on a friday evening ahead of a long weekend, then the train is worth it. Sometimes you can be waiting an hour for a vacant taxi so the option to travel by train is great.

Have you ever been at the Phetburi - Rachtapisek intersection on that same Friday night? It could take you an 2 hours or more to get there from Sathorn.

TH

[Spee]

as an airport link, it will probably be a waste of time, except for the people who work there.

Fortunately there will be a bog standard metropolitan service on the line, which will be another welcome addition to BKK's public transport network. With the service linking to both the MRT and BTS, alot of people who live along the route will be able to easily commute into BKK. That will be a huge success over time.

It isn't linked with either the BTS or the MRT except by footbridges and walkways and only at the terminal station in the city.

The three train systems are all incompatible with each other.

My thoughts exactly. I can never in a million years see an easier way of getting to/from the airport from central Sukhumvit other than the taxi directly from my hotel. The airport train only makes sense if it someday becomes fully integrated with a larger regional network, and they run some periodic express trains between the "milk runs." I agree with others that it makes sense to extend the line down along the eastern seaboard.

[bkkjames]

as an airport link, it will probably be a waste of time, except for the people who work there.

Fortunately there will be a bog standard metropolitan service on the line, which will be another welcome addition to BKK's public transport network. With the service linking to both the MRT and BTS, alot of people who live along the route will be able to easily commute into BKK. That will be a huge success over time.

It isn't linked with either the BTS or the MRT except by footbridges and walkways and only at the terminal station in the city.

The three train systems are all incompatible with each other.

My thoughts exactly. I can never in a million years see an easier way of getting to/from the airport from central Sukhumvit other than the taxi directly from my hotel. The airport train only makes sense if it someday becomes fully integrated with a larger regional network, and they run some periodic express trains between the "milk runs." I agree with others that it makes sense to extend the line down along the eastern seaboard.

so if the express is 150 to makkasan, what would the cost be to Pattaya? 500?

[tw25rw]

those first stations before makkasan, is the intention to make those interchange stations in the future?

and this might be a dumb question, but how does bangkok have an underground MRT system when the city is supposedly sinking and below water level?

It's the surface that is sinking. The bits underground are already sunk....

Notice that the entrances are raised above flood level to stop flood waters swamping the network.

[Meridian007]

I never pay the 50 baht extra to come back, either.

Why not?

Now it's 100 Baht. I just came in from Malaysia on Friday, and they have a new system at swampy. If you try to bypass the "airport fee" by going up to the departures level, they now have a line of fencing to stop people from catching a cab that just dropped someone off. Pissed me off, so I jumped the fence!

I think they're trying to enforce the taxi fee to make the rail line price more attractive for the next few months so that people will be willing to pay 100+ for the rail line.

I live out in Pinklao, so taking a cab to the Phya Thai BTS station (and getting on the airport express line from there, I would never bother with the Asoke/Petchaburi station, and Phya Thai seems to be the terminal station for the airport express) is about 80 Baht even when there's traffic. Add that to 150 Baht for the rail line (230 Baht) still makes it cheaper than the 280-310 Baht price of taking a cab from my condo to Swampy.

I can't wait for it to open!

Edited June 22, 2009 by Meridian007

[samtam]

Where does the airport rail link actually arrive at Suvarnabhumi? I suspect you have to take another form of transport from the arrival point to the terminal, which is just another added hassle when you have luggage. Complete waste of time in my view.

[JohnGotti]

Where does the airport rail link actually arrive at Suvarnabhumi? I suspect you have to take another form of transport from the arrival point to the terminal, which is just another added hassle when you have luggage. Complete waste of time in my view.

yeah i was wondering about that too.

[MJo]

Where does the airport rail link actually arrive at Suvarnabhumi? I suspect you have to take another form of transport from the arrival point to the terminal, which is just another added hassle when you have luggage. Complete waste of time in my view.

yeah i was wondering about that too.

I believe it will be in the basement of the terminal itself. Someone claimed so and posted pic's of the station some time back on one of the airport link threads. If i remember correctly the station was constructed same time as the terminal so if that is the case they got something right.

[theoldgit]

I will use it to go to swampy, as the guesthouse I stay in when I'm in Bangkok is fairly close to Thonglor station.... and I hate the morning trafic.

Don't forget that whilst your guest house may be near Thonglor BTS station, the airport link is a totally separate line and you cannot access it from Thonglor. You will either need to get a taxi to the Airport Link station, rather defeating the object, or travel downtown on the BTS and then walk over a footbridge to connect to the Airport Link - not sure which BTS station has the link.

I live in Thonglor and will continue to take a taxi door to door, really don't fancy lugging cases to the BTS and over a footbridge, but everyone to their own.

[pitrevie]

I will use it to go to swampy, as the guesthouse I stay in when I'm in Bangkok is fairly close to Thonglor station.... and I hate the morning trafic.

Don't forget that whilst your guest house may be near Thonglor BTS station, the airport link is a totally separate line and you cannot access it from Thonglor. You will either need to get a taxi to the Airport Link station, rather defeating the object, or travel downtown on the BTS and then walk over a footbridge to connect to the Airport Link - not sure which BTS station has the link.

I live in Thonglor and will continue to take a taxi door to door, really don't fancy lugging cases to the BTS and over a footbridge, but everyone to their own.

I would have thought at Thonglor your easiest connection would be Makesan which is linked in with Petchburi MRT. However Makesan is direct to the airport. The only BTS station that will link up with the airport link at this stage is Phyathai. IT does make more sense in your case to take a taxi the whole way.

[dantilley]

It will have its niche markets I suspect - people traveling to the airport alone to meet people (or to go to work), expats and Thais who have traveled regionally with light luggage, local business travelers arriving alone... Tourists arriving from a long haul flight loaded with bags: no chance. For a start, if you have two or more people it will almost certainly be more expensive to get the train. A family of four, 600 Baht just to get to the terminal station, then having to navigate to the station near their hotel? Forget it.

But as Samran mentioned earlier, it will be great for people who live along the line to use it as a regular train to get to/from town.

[thaihome]

I never pay the 50 baht extra to come back, either.

Why not?

Now it's 100 Baht. I just came in from Malaysia on Friday, and they have a new system at swampy. If you try to bypass the "airport fee" by going up to the departures level, they now have a line of fencing to stop people from catching a cab that just dropped someone off. Pissed me off, so I jumped the fence!

I think they're trying to enforce the taxi fee to make the rail line price more attractive for the next few months so that people will be willing to pay 100+ for the rail line.

I live out in Pinklao, so taking a cab to the Phya Thai BTS station (and getting on the airport express line from there, I would never bother with the Asoke/Petchaburi station, and Phya Thai seems to be the terminal station for the airport express) is about 80 Baht even when there's traffic. Add that to 150 Baht for the rail line (230 Baht) still makes it cheaper than the 280-310 Baht price of taking a cab from my condo to Swampy.

I can't wait for it to open!

I do hope it works out for you, but I suspect that Mahksan (at Asok and Petchaburi) will be the terminal for the express train. You can see that Mahksan is huge a station, built similar to an airport terminal, and I understand it will have the baggage check-in there. Phya Thai will just be another commuter station.

As far as the taxi's at arrivals maybe they are enforcing the rules so people will get taxis from the correct place and the drivers that patiently wait for their turn get the fares, not someone that jumps to the front of the line.

TH