Airport Rail Link (again Sorry)

[lomatopo]

My favoured route to/from lower Sukhumvit, having tried them all is taxi to/from Makkasan (50-70 baht) plus City Line (15 baht). Easy for normal luggage complements. You might have to wait for a taxi for 5 minutes at Makkasan. Actually Rachatewi would be a cheaper place to get off and hail a taxi but I could see only steps coming down from that station.

Can you describe the taxi situation at Makasan? I saw signs pointing to the 3rd floor for the taxi stand. I'm especially curious on the routes taxis take leaving Makasan. I don't think they can turn right/south on Ratachadapisek, so just wondering on the routes available. Also, the traffic situation near Makasan is pretty terrible most days/times. I sat in a taxi for 65 minutes near Makasan (from Rama 9 to Petchaburi) last week.

[whybother]

My favoured route to/from lower Sukhumvit, having tried them all is taxi to/from Makkasan (50-70 baht) plus City Line (15 baht). Easy for normal luggage complements. You might have to wait for a taxi for 5 minutes at Makkasan. Actually Rachatewi would be a cheaper place to get off and hail a taxi but I could see only steps coming down from that station.

Can you describe the taxi situation at Makasan? I saw signs pointing to the 3rd floor for the taxi stand. I'm especially curious on the routes taxis take leaving Makasan. I don't think they can turn right/south on Ratachadapisek, so just wondering on the routes available. Also, the traffic situation near Makasan is pretty terrible most days/times. I sat in a taxi for 65 minutes near Makasan (from Rama 9 to Petchaburi) last week.

From what I have seen, there are currently two exits. One is next to the rail line and allows a left turn onto Ratchada only (possibly a taxi could turn right across the rail line, but not very likely). The other exit goes out and left along next to Ratchada towards the the expressway and turns left onto the road underneath the expressway. There doesn't appear to be any access to Petchaburi or Asoke.

[SantiSuk]

Whybother's comments are correct in my experience. I've done Makkasan to soi 4 via Ratchada, Petchaburi and soi 3 at 5pm. Took no more than 20 minutes and 75 baht with soi 3 being the only sticking point. At that time I would expect to spend that amount of time getting off the expressway around Sukhumvit soi 1 had I taken a taxi all the way from Swampy.

I think that taxi and train/taxi alternatives are broadly comparable in time both inside and outside the rush hour. Train/taxi possibly 10 to 20% slower unless the train awaits you as you get onto the platform at Swampy.

[Lakegeneve]

SRT has stated that they will finally have the ticket machines operating from Dec using smart cards and single trip tokens similar to those used on the MRT.

Ridership now around 43 000 a day. http://www.railway.c....asp?idnews=680

The introduction of tokens has made ticketing a little quicker and ridership is about the same although the Express has increased a little to around 800-900 a day.

For those that don't know full fares commence from the 4th of Jan which will mean for Cityline a fare of 15-45 baht and for the Express Line 150 baht. It will be intersting to see what the pax numbers are after full fares esp on the Express line.

Also, check-in at Makkasan (CAT) will start from the 4th for Thai, Lufthansa and Bangkok flights - the SRT was going to contract it to TG. I don't see much value in using the check in given that there will be a minimum time period but for some it may be useful.

If you do want to use it I would suggest waiting a few weeks as no doubt there will be some teething problems.

[whybother]

The link sure was busy and OK to do with a suitcase if you are going to the airport, but I wouldn't recommend using it going to Bangkok with a suitcase. Seems it is just as the MRT, escalators going up only. Hope that is better at Makkasan station, but wouldn't count on it. Perhaps they think only backpackers will use it.

I used the express link from the airport to Makkasan for the first time late last night.

VERY disappointed.

The airport end was OK, but the Makkasan end was a bit of a joke. There are no down escalators from the platform, so if you have luggage you need to use the elevator.

You can't buy your ticket at the Airport end (I'm not sure if that is the long term plan), which means there is a long queue to get the ticket/token at the Makkasan end with everyone having just got off the same train. Luckily, last night there was only about 10 people.

You have to take your chances in getting a taxi, especially if it's late, as taxi's only come in to drop people off. If there is no one being dropped off (as is the case later at night) then there are no taxis. I had to find my way out to the road and walk to Asoke to get a taxi. Once you find your way out of the station, the walk isn't too difficult (150m) if you have wheeled luggage.

Overall, it's probably OK at peak times - faster than a taxi in peak hour, and more taxis around - I wouldn't recommend it off-peak.

[Aza90]

SRT has stated that they will finally have the ticket machines operating from Dec using smart cards and single trip tokens similar to those used on the MRT.

Ridership now around 43 000 a day. http://www.railway.c....asp?idnews=680

The introduction of tokens has made ticketing a little quicker and ridership is about the same although the Express has increased a little to around 800-900 a day.

For those that don't know full fares commence from the 4th of Jan which will mean for Cityline a fare of 15-45 baht and for the Express Line 150 baht. It will be intersting to see what the pax numbers are after full fares esp on the Express line.

Also, check-in at Makkasan (CAT) will start from the 4th for Thai, Lufthansa and Bangkok flights - the SRT was going to contract it to TG. I don't see much value in using the check in given that there will be a minimum time period but for some it may be useful.

If you do want to use it I would suggest waiting a few weeks as no doubt there will be some teething problems.

I use the Airport Link daily and quoting the above figures for the Express being between 800-900, that means that an average ridership is approx 6 persons per trip made both from and to Suvarnabhumi (on average)! I don't personally think that the current 100B fare is excessive but its a matter of fact that the Express service currently just isn't used much. The vast majority of peoples journeys seem to be to Phaya Thai for a hop on the BTS or from Phaya Thai BTS. Obviously now we are in the 'high' season so the ridership should increase and hopefully, with the opening of baggage check - in for the three quoted airlines this will be a positive also. That maybe against the fare increase from 4th Jan. Should the current usage continue however, it would be nice to see an extra carriage from the Express trains be used to service the commuter trains at least during the rush hour periods as on more than one occasion, many people inc myself and my wife have not been able to board at Makkasan going home (Lad Krabang). The trains are rammed!!! I have actually started using the cho choo train in the evenings which is a lot less busy than it used to be!! On the whole though, the Airport Link has been great for us and also many other thousands who seem to use it daily.

[Mario2008]

The airport link is great, if you don't have luggage...................... Especailly traveling from the airport.

[Lakegeneve]

Now that full fares are in effect and limited check-in facilities are available, the SRT is looking at purchasing 5 new 3 car sets for the Cityline to deal with overcrowding and reduce the headway to below 10 mins from the current 15 mins.

Of course, any new rolling stock won't arrive for a year or 2 so the commuter CityLIne will still be crowded for a long time yet.

[wpcoe]

I'm curious what the anticipated passenger loads were before it opened, and how the actual loads compare. It seems like the City Line is already almost overwhelming capacity.

[hhgz]

"the commuter CityLIne will still be crowded for a long time yet"

With all of the TVers commenting that the train is too expensive, the stations are inconvenient, and impossible to negotiate, that's hard to believe...

[tw25rw]

"the commuter CityLIne will still be crowded for a long time yet"

With all of the TVers commenting that the train is too expensive, the stations are inconvenient, and impossible to negotiate, that's hard to believe...

They would be referring to the Airport express.

[007]

BTW, can someone confirm, whether one can take the airport rail from the Ramkhamhaeng station to Suvarnabhumi and back, or not? It would be just more convenient for me than travelling to Phyathai station.

Edited January 13, 2011 by 007

[theoldgit]

BTW, can someone confirm, whether one can take the airport rail from the Ramkhamhaeng station to Suvarnabhumi and back, or not? It would be just more convenient for me than travelling to Phyathai station.

Yes you can, the City Line trains stop there.

[Lakegeneve]

BTW, can someone confirm, whether one can take the airport rail from the Ramkhamhaeng station to Suvarnabhumi and back, or not? It would be just more convenient for me than travelling to Phyathai station.

Yes you can, the City Line trains stop there.

As trains are every 15 mins, here is the Cityline timetable so that you can plan your journey;

http://airportrailli...pth_to_svb.html (not avail in english it seems)

(if you are not using Google Chrome for translation, Ramkhamhaeng station is the 4th from the left).

The site does have some english pages containing route and station info if you are unsure of locations, http://airportraillink.railway.co.th/en/index.html

Edited January 13, 2011 by Lakegeneve

[tw25rw]

BTW, can someone confirm, whether one can take the airport rail from the Ramkhamhaeng station to Suvarnabhumi and back, or not? It would be just more convenient for me than travelling to Phyathai station.

The slow train stops there, but the airport express doesn't.

[theoldgit]

BTW, can someone confirm, whether one can take the airport rail from the Ramkhamhaeng station to Suvarnabhumi and back, or not? It would be just more convenient for me than travelling to Phyathai station.

The slow train stops there, but the airport express doesn't.

Don't worry too much about that, it's not much slower, and in any case you could only get the "slow train" from Phyathai anyway as the express doesn't go there.

[007]

Cheers, mates, for the great info! :jap:

[meatloaf]

Are there escalators from street level to/from the Phlaya Thai Airport Link station platform?

[Mario2008]

Are there escalators from street level to/from the Phlaya Thai Airport Link station platform?

Up, yes, down no.

Although I'm not sure about from street level, but you can go to the BTS station first by escalator and than walk to the airport link.

[Lakegeneve]

Are there escalators from street level to/from the Phlaya Thai Airport Link station platform?

Up, yes, down no.

Although I'm not sure about from street level, but you can go to the BTS station first by escalator and than walk to the airport link.

There is also a lift (small) from platform level to the concourse and then a seperate one outside the ticketing area, from memory, from concourse level to street level.

On the obvious and numerously mentioned problem of the absence of down escalators from the platform at most stations - as was previously suggested - the SRT has said that they will install additional escalators by early next year (which probably means mid next year);

19/12/10: The SRT will also build walkways connecting the Airport Link's Makkasan Station to the MRT underground's Phetchaburi Station, while additional escalators will be provided to facilitate passengers carrying baggage at three stations including Phaya Thai, Ratchaprarop and Ramkhamheang. All are expected to be complete at the beginning of next year, the SRT chairman pledged.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Lakegeneve

[MickeyM]

Beware of Taxi's demanding a surcharge for a pick-up at Makasan airport link (20b-50b) which they claim is 'authorized'. It is not.

[inf]

Used the airport link for the first time last Jan 18, and I am favorably impressed.

Unless you are struggling with lots of luggage and a bunch of kids, it is a cheap and fast (despite the 7 or so stops) alternative to the cab. 45 baht is a steal - where else in the world can you get that cheaply between an international airport and a capital?

The link with the BTS is also positive since the Skytrain was pretty much the only type of public transport we used during this trip.

Leaving BKK yesterday afternoon, we still chose a cab because an increase in our luggage - 205 baht from Suk Soi 11 to Swampy avoiding the toll stations and with traffic jams only along Asok.

Still, from next time we'll probably keep using the airlink.

[SantiSuk]

...... 45 baht is a steal - where else in the world can you get that cheaply between an international airport and a capital?

.........

JFK on the subway/free bus link is pretty dam_n cheap - can't remember how much, but I'm thinking sub $2 (60 baht).

I used to go to NY on business a lot and many was the time when I helped colleagues get their flights back to Europe on time in winter in the face of taxi white outs (unavailable as soon as snow starts) on a Friday afternoon. You should have seen their executive noses turn up when I would first suggest the subway - you'd think I had suggested a raft through the sewer system. They were eternally grateful 100 minutes later. Viva public transport I say.

[Lakegeneve]

As expected, since the introduction of full fares from 4 Jan the daily pax numbers have dropped by abour 10% in the range of 37000-38000 pax a day.

http://mgr.manager.co.th/Home/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9540000011659

[hughben]

I used this a lot last week as I was based close to the line.

I noticed a lot of the express trains were sparse.

Will that last?

Will it be sustainable?

The slow trains were every 20 minutes.

Correct me if I am wrong but were they every 15 minutes a few months ago?

And why didn't they build an underground walkway from Makkasan to the Petchaburi MRT station?

I tried the walk between the two stations one time and thought it would be deemed unsafe by some at night. And paper stuck to walls pointing where the MRT station was, was very strange.

[barryFunk]

I used this a lot last week as I was based close to the line.

I noticed a lot of the express trains were sparse.

Will that last?

Will it be sustainable?

The slow trains were every 20 minutes.

Correct me if I am wrong but were they every 15 minutes a few months ago?

And why didn't they build an underground walkway from Makkasan to the Petchaburi MRT station?

I tried the walk between the two stations one time and thought it would be deemed unsafe by some at night. And paper stuck to walls pointing where the MRT station was, was very strange.

Express trains? It's hard to say but an earlier post noted that the SRT wanted to buy more trains for the City Line. I believe their request was rejected in part due to the Express Line trains being so sparsely used. The Express Line has very tough competition from the City Line and taxis so it's not surprising that few people are using it. Furthermore, on arriving at the train station at the airport, it's actually further and less obvious to take the Express Line. If they were thinking like marketers, the Express Line would have been the closest desk rather than the City Line. Personally, I'd prefer they shifted all trains to the City Line and increased frequency. I've had to wait 15 minutes a few times because I've just missed a train. I'd rather have only to have waited 7 minutes!

The Makkasan/Petchaburi link development is supposed to be underway but by the sounds of your report it hasn't started yet. Since the ARL and MRT are run by different agencies/companies there clearly wasn't enough incentive to get the link in place prior to starting service on the line. Another poster I believe mentioned that there was something wrong with the initial plan specs and that this has caused a delay in construction. As I understand it, the link will be elevated rather than underground. It's not a great situation, but the four to five minute walk between the two isn't all that bad. I've done it with a heavy backpack a few times and a rolling case another and it still saved time compared to a taxi (started at Silom MRT station heading out to the airport).

Also mentioned earlier in this thread (check out all the other posts - they're a great read!), links between transit systems in Bangkok often take a while after initial opening. The Silom/Sala Daeng link between BTS and MRT took a year or two to open once the MRT started service. The BTS/ARL link is excellent and opened in time so perhaps we actually lucked out with this new line!

Hopefully, once the link between the MRT and Makkasan is completed, we'll have a pretty decent system in place.

[ES1]

BTW, can someone confirm, whether one can take the airport rail from the Ramkhamhaeng station to Suvarnabhumi and back, or not? It would be just more convenient for me than travelling to Phyathai station.

The slow train stops there, but the airport express doesn't.

Don't worry too much about that, it's not much slower, and in any case you could only get the "slow train" from Phyathai anyway as the express doesn't go there.

I've been on the city and express. The express is twice as fast and has more comfortable seats. Worth the extra 105baht IMHO if Makassan station works for ya since that is the only place the express stops. That station is still a work in progress. Little to no signage and the place is little more than a hollow shell right now. Walking to Petchburi MRT isn't too bad (once you figure out what direction...ie no signage) unless you have a lot of luggage. Also, most people with luggage seem to get checked at the metal detectors on entering the MRT stations so it's not such a great option because of the hassle factor. Better to take a Taxi to/from Makassan if you have luggage IMHO.

The trains are quite fast and smooth. The door slamming is kind of annoying though. You would think they could dampen that down. Makassan is huge and obviously designed to be a full blown alternative to airport check in. I figure once the interational airlines start using Makassan and they get a proper pedestrian link to the MRT station the express line will get much busier. Just makes too much sense not to work and has been proven to work in other cities.

Edited February 25, 2011 by ES1

[theoldgit]

I note the above and that's fine, like "007" Ramkhamhaeng is more convienient than Makassan for me, using the City Line takes me about 10-15 mins and costs 35 Baht, and is certainly not worth the longer journey, including the heavy traffic at the Petchuburi/Asoke junction, to get the faster more comfortable Express train.

I suppose it all depends what works for everybody.

[barryFunk]

My wife and I used check in at Makkasan last week and I thought I'd post a quick review. Previously, I'd taken the CityLine train or taken the Express (before check in had opened) a number of times but this was the first time using check in.

I left my office on Silom Road just after 7pm and walked the ten minutes to Silom MRT. 10 to 15 minutes from there plus a five minute walk and I was at Makkasan meeting my wife who had taken a taxi from home. They have bag scanners set up just before the check in area but to access this 'secure' area (including the check in desks) you have to present your receipt for tickets on the Express. I guess this is to prevent people checking in and then taking the cheaper CityLine.

Check in took seconds since there was no one else in the queue. We asked the check in attendant how busy she has been and she noted that we were the 19th and 20th people checking in that day. She said this job was great since it was a good chance to catch up on Facebook!

Quick escalator ride up to the waiting train and five minutes later we were off to the airport along with four (!) other passengers. We arrive at Suvarnabhumi in under 15 mins and made it to the immigration area by 8pm. Not bad considering I was in my office just an hour earlier and check in had already been completed. At immigration, we had eight people in front of us but the official was very efficient an we were through in less than five minutes. There was no queue at security and we were in the TG lounge just after 8:10pm. Looking at the traffic on Silom and on the expressway, I don't think there is any way a taxi could have made the trip faster though admittedly I needed to walk about 15 minutes as part of my trip and not everyone is willing to do this - especially if they have large suitcases.

Arriving in Melbourne, our bags were quick to come out so there do not seem to be any problems getting bags to the plane at BKK.

Overall we were really impressed and will certainly use this option again - if it's still there. For all the reasons mentioned previously in this thread (relative cost, inconvenience of Makkasan, lack of decent MRT connection), very few people are using the service and it seems like it will have to be scrapped if they want to raise CityLine capacity. What we liked most was the comfort of the train on the Express line compared to the cramped and overcrowded CityLine where we've had to stand for the 20 to 25 mins the last four trips to/from the airport. That was worth 100 baht each though I guess there are only a few who share the willingness to pay more for a more comfortable and slightly faster train vs a taxi or the cheaper and less comfortable CityLine.

It was amusing to see once at BKK that there was an official telling tourists that the CityLine was much cheaper and not to bother with the Express line! A group of 10+ had queued up for tickets to the Express but they quickly made their way to the CityLine ticket machines instead.

Regards

barryFunk

[wpcoe]

Overall we were really impressed and will certainly use this option again - if it's still there. For all the reasons mentioned previously in this thread (relative cost, inconvenience of Makkasan, lack of decent MRT connection), very few people are using the service and it seems like it will have to be scrapped if they want to raise CityLine capacity. What we liked most was the comfort of the train on the Express line compared to the cramped and overcrowded CityLine where we've had to stand for the 20 to 25 mins the last four trips to/from the airport. That was worth 100 baht each though I guess there are only a few who share the willingness to pay more for a more comfortable and slightly faster train vs a taxi or the cheaper and less comfortable CityLine.

I wondered about the wisdom of offering "downtown" airline check-in, as the ones in downtown Tokyo and New York City were eliminated years ago. What's unique about Bangkok that would support such a system that mega-metropolises Tokyo & NYC can't support?