National Stadium - Rama V Monorail To Be Built

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National Stadium - Rama V monorail to be built

By Nerisa Nerykhiew

The Nation

Published on November 20, 2009

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday that he was eyeing plans for a National Stadium-Rama IV monorail route to be built early next year, after Chulalongkorn University had shown interest in donating land for the project.

Sukhumbhand also revealed details of plans to create a monorail system covering Lat Phrao, Phetburi, Khlong Ton, On Nut and Sri Nakarin roads.

'Cheaper, quicker'

Following his factfinding trip to see Kuala Lumpur's monorail, Sukhumbhand said the cost of Bt1.3 billion per kilometre was cheaper than the Skytrain's Bt3 billion per kilometre and added that Bangkok should also be able to match the Kuala Lumpur system's speed of construction - 19 kilometres in 30 months.

Skytrain linkup

He said the monorail's transport benefits could be maximised by linking it up with the Skytrain and subway system.

He added that the construction could be funded by the government's Thai Khemkhaeng stimulus programme or by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration coffers.

-- The Nation 2009/11/21

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[Moonrakers]

Lat Phrao needs something badly, it might also ease traffic around Bangkapi a bit.

[Briggsy]

KL's monorail and associated high-speed rail services run 50 km out to the suburbs in several directions and are vital for commuters. National Stadium to Rama IV must be all of 2 kms. That'll help a lot...not.

Where is the central planning? Where is the government? Why is the BMA planning this? In other countries, the various government and city organisations co-ordinate to plan a mass transit system. Here the lack of co-ordination and lack of any kind of holistic plan has led to years of traffic chaos.

[Hardback]

KL's monorail and associated high-speed rail services run 50 km out to the suburbs in several directions and are vital for commuters. National Stadium to Rama IV must be all of 2 kms. That'll help a lot...not.

I think that this line will be very helpful for Chula students who want to do a spot of shopping.

[Meridian007]

Why not work on some of the BTS and MRT projects that are already planned? Even if they change the tech to monorail, something needs to go further out.

I think if they want to connect Universities to the main line, why not Thammasat, Kasetsart, and Ramkamheng? Chula doesn't need a rail line, they are close enough to the BTS on one end, and the MRT on the other.

[phetaroi]

It's not the routes I question. What I want to know is how many different "systems" are "they" going to build? We already have Skytrain, the subway, and the link from Suwannaphum. That's three and growing. Humbug! Seems to be each "group's" whim.

[flightcrew1]

It's not the routes I question. What I want to know is how many different "systems" are "they" going to build? We already have Skytrain, the subway, and the link from Suwannaphum. That's three and growing. Humbug! Seems to be each "group's" whim.

You forgot the BRT which they have been building on Naritiwas from Chong Nong Si to Central Rama 3 which was supposed to be finished already but seems to have stopped now these last few months. This project has been build in fits and starts these last 3 years causing even worse gridlock at Satorn/Naritwas intersection.

Edited November 22, 2009 by flightcrew1

[on-on]

It's not the routes I question. What I want to know is how many different "systems" are "they" going to build? We already have Skytrain, the subway, and the link from Suwannaphum. That's three and growing. Humbug! Seems to be each "group's" whim.

You forgot the BRT which they have been building on Naritiwas from Chong Nong Si to Central Rama 3 which was supposed to be finished already but seems to have stopped now these last few months. This project has been build in fits and starts these last 3 years causing even worse gridlock at Satorn/Naritwas intersection.

That thing is a bus terminal right? It's been under construction since years back when I lived over there and every time I pass it now it seems stalled at the giant four-way crosswalk at the intersection and I can't help but notice that the connector bridge that's stopped at the edge of the crosswalk isn't going to neatly fit over top of the crosswalk, so I can only imagine that what's going to happen next will be entertaining for the staff at the various massive office buildings on those corners.

Skytrain, Subway, SRT, Heavy Rail, Bus, Khlong Boat, River Boat, Motorcycles, Tuk Tuks, Saengtaews - one thing I love about Bangkok, there's always another way to get where you're going and there's absolutely no coordination between any of them. Eventually the motorcycle taxi guys and Chao Phraya Express Boats will go to a card-based system and I'll need a second wallet just to carry the fifteen different cards necessary to get around Bangkok.

[asanee]

KL's monorail and associated high-speed rail services run 50 km out to the suburbs in several directions

NOT quite so-KUL's monorel is a kind of funfair-toytrain thing that is hardly able to transport more pax/hr as an ordinary busline. It is heavily burdened with debt-so that the KL city had to bail it out. KL is another masterpiece of faulty planning with now 3 different systems completely incompatible with one another. Perhaps thats BKK following suit!

But the responder might be confusing it with the PUTRA driverless skytrain look-a-like, which indeed goes quite far into KL's suburbia. Anyway-the difference between the BTS/skytrain and a monorail as such is minimal in the construction needed.

The only 50 kmlink is the airport=KLIA high speed rail-not really a commuter citysolution. But indeed much earlier as the thing here in BKK.

[asanee]

To add to this-now that this morning had the BKK-post giving the full article:

it seems a bit better thought out-and on the Singapore model. There they have a lot of heavy-transit real subway=metro lines, some even driverless. In some residential areas are connecting smaller circle routes, named light rail, or monorail; neihter of the 2 really is the right word though. In fact MIAMI in Florida, USA has about the same thing. These short lines have much lower density traffic-and are just fit for it. The propsed (nothing decied yet of course) route Siam-via Chula Uni-ending near MRT/Chamchuri=Sam Yan also makes sense for that. IF ypouplan and contrsut it properly the time difference in bulding hardly differs from what we have here as BTS=Skytrain-except that here in BKk this is often hampered/rstricted to nighttime only due not inconvenience the hi-class car drivers too much.

When they do start copying Singapore-they might even start with their very best innovation-the paid peak hour limited entry to central town-copied by a Mr. Livingstone for Central London when he was mayor there. A far more likely working solution for BKK's traffic woes.

[mrtoad]

Lat Phrao needs something badly, it might also ease traffic around Bangkapi a bit.

There is meant to be a route planned for Lat Phrao in the future.