The New Skytrain

[Lakegeneve]

Do you have any extra news about #1 Silom line ext? This time the flood excuse doesn't work, so how do they explain the delay?

In fact the delay is directly blamed on the 2011 floods. There is info on this earlier in this thread.

The BMA took out a bank loan to fund this extension in early 2011 - in reality just the 4 stations had to be built & track, electrical and systems installed as the viaduct had been completed some 4 years earlier. A contract was signed in the 1st quarter of 2011 specifying that the extension had to open by Dec 2012, with penalties for any delay.

The contractor started work a bit late in May/June 2011 and was never going to meet the dealine. The floods of Oct-Nov-Dec in Bangkok didn't actually affected any of the station construction sites save for Bang Wah with Phetkasen rd being flooded. The floods did however mean that construction material could not be transported onto the sites and there was an added problem that many workers could not get to work.

I'd say that they lost 8-10 weeks worth of construction time but the contractor stated it was 4-5 months. The result was that work was prioritised for S9 & S10, which respectively opened in mid Jan & mid Feb. S11 & S12 end up opening a year later than the original deadline. This is why a shuttle is run between WWY and Talat Phlu as no turnouts were planned - I think that one could have been installed but apparently is what not possible.

The 2011 floods also meant that the opening dates for the Purple Line and Blue Line ext were pushed back by 12 months which seems excessive but will probably be realistic given inevitable delays!

As an aside, the 2011 floods are rated as the 4th most costliest natural disaster ever (up to 2011) at US$45 billion in economic damage! Only the 2011 tsunami in Japan, the 95 Kobe quake and the 05 Katrina are said to have cost more according to the World Bank.

[Will2011]

Alright, fair enough. Thanks for the info.

[David48]

Just as an aside ... I was travelling the Sukhumvit line yesterday and the carriage was the old style ... ?

The ones that didn't have the illuminated stations on it.

Was I simply dreaming?

[planr]

Just as an aside ... I was travelling the Sukhumvit line yesterday and the carriage was the old style ... ?

The ones that didn't have the illuminated stations on it.

Was I simply dreaming?

Nope, none of the 1st-gen Siemans carriages have been taken out of rotation.

[David48]

Just some news I received today ...

MRTA endorses Brown Line (Khae Rai-Lam Salee) [The Nation]

The board of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) on Wednesday

approved in principle the construction of a monorail line from Khae Rai to Lam

Salee worth Bt45 billion.

MRTA chairwoman Ratchanee Treepipatkul said that the21.6-km route, so-called the Brown Line,

is a new line, which has not been included in the mass-transit development master plan.

The monorail line will have22 stations, running from Khae Rai towards Ngamwongwan Road and

Kaset-Nawamin Road to Lam Salee Intersection on Srinakarin Road. Ratchaneed said

that the monorail can be connected with the Pink Line in Khae Rai, the Purple Line

on Ratanathibet Road, the Red Line in Bang Khen, and the Blue Line in front of

Kasetsart University.

"This will be submitted for the transport minister’s

consideration early September. The design is scheduled for completion within 2016

and the auction could take place in 2017. The construction should take 3 years for

completion in 2021," she said

[planr]

Just some news I received today ...

MRTA endorses Brown Line (Khae Rai-Lam Salee) [The Nation]

The board of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) on Wednesday

approved in principle the construction of a monorail line from Khae Rai to Lam

Salee worth Bt45 billion.

MRTA chairwoman Ratchanee Treepipatkul said that the21.6-km route, so-called the Brown Line,

is a new line, which has not been included in the mass-transit development master plan.

The monorail line will have22 stations, running from Khae Rai towards Ngamwongwan Road and

Kaset-Nawamin Road to Lam Salee Intersection on Srinakarin Road. Ratchaneed said

that the monorail can be connected with the Pink Line in Khae Rai, the Purple Line

on Ratanathibet Road, the Red Line in Bang Khen, and the Blue Line in front of

Kasetsart University.

"This will be submitted for the transport minister’s

consideration early September. The design is scheduled for completion within 2016

and the auction could take place in 2017. The construction should take 3 years for

completion in 2021," she said

I am sure Dr. Chadchart and the rest of the Cabinet will approve in principle, but the design and build timeframe is highly optimistic, even not counting Thailand's standard "decade plus" delays. The most positive takeway is that 10 years ago, most of this alignment was planned to be an expressway extension. Policymakers are finally figuring out that transit is a better bet (even if that decision is based on cronies building condos near stations and smiling all the way to the bank)

[IsaanUSA]

You don't think they can get the design done by 2016? That's over two years away!

[Shaksey]

A monorail?

Hhhhmmmm echoes of The Simpsons?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Shaksey

[planr]

You don't think they can get the design done by 2016? That's over two years away!

It's certainly possible. However, I was referring to the overall project, including implementation. Nothing built by the public sector on such a scale in Thailand has ever gone from a napkin sketch (which is basically what this was just a few months ago) to a real, operating asset in eight years.

[robblok]

I am getting pretty annoyed with the new line here in Bangyai they are taking more and more road away and creating traffic jams. If they would make the road free if they were not working on it it would help a lot. But no they just keep it for storing stuff over there. They really have no idea about all the grief they are causing.

In the end more road would have been better as a bts stealing lanes from the road (maybe some will be given back but it really stops things up here.

[planr]

I am getting pretty annoyed with the new line here in Bangyai they are taking more and more road away and creating traffic jams. If they would make the road free if they were not working on it it would help a lot. But no they just keep it for storing stuff over there. They really have no idea about all the grief they are causing.

In the end more road would have been better as a bts stealing lanes from the road (maybe some will be given back but it really stops things up here.

You can be sure Thai people also complain and that both the government and the contractors are aware of the situation, but realistically there is no way around it.

And better for who exactly? The thousands of people who have chosen to live in their big houses in the new moo baan far from where they work? How about better for the hundreds of thousands that will be able to commute quickly and cheaply once the Purple Line opens. There is more to life than your own interests...

[robblok]

I am getting pretty annoyed with the new line here in Bangyai they are taking more and more road away and creating traffic jams. If they would make the road free if they were not working on it it would help a lot. But no they just keep it for storing stuff over there. They really have no idea about all the grief they are causing.

In the end more road would have been better as a bts stealing lanes from the road (maybe some will be given back but it really stops things up here.

You can be sure Thai people also complain and that both the government and the contractors are aware of the situation, but realistically there is no way around it.

And better for who exactly? The thousands of people who have chosen to live in their big houses in the new moo baan far from where they work? How about better for the hundreds of thousands that will be able to commute quickly and cheaply once the Purple Line opens. There is more to life than your own interests...

Of course there is more to life then my own interests but to take lanes away from cars is never a good thing. There have been more cars on the road because of the first car scheme and what do they to take lanes away from cars. There won't be that many people leaving their car for the skytrain you know how Thais are. I am sure there are plenty of people thinking like me.

I am happy for the sky train and am sure to use it in future at times. Though i doubt it will be real useful as for the longer trips cars are still better. I am not really talking about on completion I am talking how they fence parts off creating bottle necks while they are either done working there or just use it for storage. If instead they just finish that part up so there where the bottle necks are traffic can move better. Big traffic jams on a daily basis are the result of this, all the people around here are not happy about this. I know as we discussed it.

[Psych01]

New virtualisation of the route now available here: Yellow Line MRT Bangkok. Sorry the voice over is in Thai.

[whybother]

New virtualisation of the route now available here: Yellow Line MRT Bangkok. Sorry the voice over is in Thai.

This is different to the new Brown Line mentioned a few posts above.

[whybother]

And yet another line:

BMA to request 20 billion baht for grey-line monorail project

BANGKOK, 25 August 2013 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is set to ask 20 billion baht from the government in order to push forward the grey-line monorail project which is expected to complete in less than 2 years.

Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has inspected the route where the grey-line monorail will be built. It will run from Vatcharapol to Rama 9 Bridge and connect with the BTS at Thong Lor station.

According to the governor, the grey line is only the first in a series of monorail construction projects the BMA hopes to complete over the next few years.

At this stage, he said the BMA will request a budget of 20 billion baht for the project which is expected to complete in less than 2 years, adding that when completed, it will have the ability to facilitate up to 1 million commuters a day.

-- NNT 2013-08-25

[razorramone]

I was on the bts from saphan kwei yesterday, heading to Asok. Listening to music not really paying attention. Next thing I notice the scenery looks unusual, and the train was pulling up in ratchadamri (s1)!

I didn't change at Siam, I was sat daydreaming. Are there certain trains that cross lines in Siam Sq?

[planr]

You can be sure Thai people also complain and that both the government and the contractors are aware of the situation, but realistically there is no way around it.

And better for who exactly? The thousands of people who have chosen to live in their big houses in the new moo baan far from where they work? How about better for the hundreds of thousands that will be able to commute quickly and cheaply once the Purple Line opens. There is more to life than your own interests...

Of course there is more to life then my own interests but to take lanes away from cars is never a good thing. There have been more cars on the road because of the first car scheme and what do they to take lanes away from cars. There won't be that many people leaving their car for the skytrain you know how Thais are. I am sure there are plenty of people thinking like me.

I am happy for the sky train and am sure to use it in future at times. Though i doubt it will be real useful as for the longer trips cars are still better. I am not really talking about on completion I am talking how they fence parts off creating bottle necks while they are either done working there or just use it for storage. If instead they just finish that part up so there where the bottle necks are traffic can move better. Big traffic jams on a daily basis are the result of this, all the people around here are not happy about this. I know as we discussed it.

I agree that the first-car scheme has been bad for just about everyone except the auto manfacturers and the petrol retailers, but the answer to relieving congested roads is not by building more roads (Google "Induced Demand"). While the roads around Bang Yai (Rattanathibet and Kanchanaphisek, right?) might be more congested now with construction, what and see what happens once the Purple Line opens... should be interesting to say the least.

And yet another line:

BMA to request 20 billion baht for grey-line monorail project

BANGKOK, 25 August 2013 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is set to ask 20 billion baht from the government in order to push forward the grey-line monorail project which is expected to complete in less than 2 years.

Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has inspected the route where the grey-line monorail will be built. It will run from Vatcharapol to Rama 9 Bridge and connect with the BTS at Thong Lor station.

According to the governor, the grey line is only the first in a series of monorail construction projects the BMA hopes to complete over the next few years.

At this stage, he said the BMA will request a budget of 20 billion baht for the project which is expected to complete in less than 2 years, adding that when completed, it will have the ability to facilitate up to 1 million commuters a day.

-- NNT 2013-08-25

This was in the 2009 OTP master plan (the latest official revision). Would be nice to see the BMA do something useful with their massive annual budget surplus...

I was on the bts from saphan kwei yesterday, heading to Asok. Listening to music not really paying attention. Next thing I notice the scenery looks unusual, and the train was pulling up in ratchadamri (s1)!

I didn't change at Siam, I was sat daydreaming. Are there certain trains that cross lines in Siam Sq?

Yes, operationally speaking, trains do "switch" from time to time depending on the time of day. Chances are you were rocking out too hard with your iPhone and missed the PA announcement (which they do indeed make in such an instance)

[robblok]

@planr

You forget one thing around Bangyai its a major truck road, they wont be using the BTS and taking roads away from a major road transport line is never smart. You can argue all you want but now trucks are piled up almost every day there. I hope it is temporarily and that some of the roads and bottle necks will be ironed out but you never know.

Back in the Netherlands they also said more roads will lead to more cars and more traffic.. guess what they put in new roads and the traffic is gone much less as ever before. So roads are an option just not a popular one because not much money can be scammed off it like the BTS.

I also think that the line is far too long to be useful in the center of BKK its useful because everything is close by here we got lines that span over 30 km.. imagine the travel time in those slow trains. They might not even win it from cars. They certainly won't win from motorbikes.

[planr]

@planr

You forget one thing around Bangyai its a major truck road, they wont be using the BTS and taking roads away from a major road transport line is never smart. You can argue all you want but now trucks are piled up almost every day there. I hope it is temporarily and that some of the roads and bottle necks will be ironed out but you never know.

Back in the Netherlands they also said more roads will lead to more cars and more traffic.. guess what they put in new roads and the traffic is gone much less as ever before. So roads are an option just not a popular one because not much money can be scammed off it like the BTS.

I also think that the line is far too long to be useful in the center of BKK its useful because everything is close by here we got lines that span over 30 km.. imagine the travel time in those slow trains. They might not even win it from cars. They certainly won't win from motorbikes.

I can't argue your point about the trucks, as I don't live out there I have not experienced it. As for the Purple Line, certainly not all travel will be to the city centre, but a lot will. My guess is that the vans that currently serve Nonthaburi will see a significant drop in patronage, owing to the fact that the MRT will offer most commuters a higher level of comfort & convenience, more reliability, and definitely more safety.

[robblok]

@planr

You forget one thing around Bangyai its a major truck road, they wont be using the BTS and taking roads away from a major road transport line is never smart. You can argue all you want but now trucks are piled up almost every day there. I hope it is temporarily and that some of the roads and bottle necks will be ironed out but you never know.

Back in the Netherlands they also said more roads will lead to more cars and more traffic.. guess what they put in new roads and the traffic is gone much less as ever before. So roads are an option just not a popular one because not much money can be scammed off it like the BTS.

I also think that the line is far too long to be useful in the center of BKK its useful because everything is close by here we got lines that span over 30 km.. imagine the travel time in those slow trains. They might not even win it from cars. They certainly won't win from motorbikes.

I can't argue your point about the trucks, as I don't live out there I have not experienced it. As for the Purple Line, certainly not all travel will be to the city centre, but a lot will. My guess is that the vans that currently serve Nonthaburi will see a significant drop in patronage, owing to the fact that the MRT will offer most commuters a higher level of comfort & convenience, more reliability, and definitely more safety.

Too be honest there is still not too much in Nonthaburi id figure most travel will go towards the city. My opinion, as i live here anyway. The bad thing is it does not really go into the city where most need to go. Anyway I just wait and hope that a lot of the blockage is temporary. But they could have done it better with less trouble for the people traveling here. Anyway I hope it will be done soon but I doubt it you don't see much work being done most of the time as i pass them they are just sitting.

[Lakegeneve]

And yet another line:

BMA to request 20 billion baht for grey-line monorail project

BANGKOK, 25 August 2013 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is set to ask 20 billion baht from the government in order to push forward the grey-line monorail project which is expected to complete in less than 2 years.

-- NNT 2013-08-25

You only need to go back to page 7 and read through post #173 to see that I updated the situation of the Grey line with route map, station list and briefly over viewed the politics surrounding this line.

I very much doubt that the BMA will start construction early next year if the feasibility study and EIA are completed by the end of this year and if they do decide to proceed with it. There is NO WAY that this line will be built in 2 years no matter what is spruiked by officials.

This is #15 on the Summary list.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Lakegeneve

[Lakegeneve]

Just some news I received today ...

MRTA endorses Brown Line (Khae Rai-Lam Salee) [The Nation]

The board of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) on Wednesday

approved in principle the construction of a monorail line from Khae Rai to Lam

Salee worth Bt45 billion.

MRTA chairwoman Ratchanee Treepipatkul said that the21.6-km route, so-called the Brown Line,

is a new line, which has not been included in the mass-transit development master plan.

I am sure Dr. Chadchart and the rest of the Cabinet will approve in principle, but the design and build timeframe is highly optimistic, even not counting Thailand's standard "decade plus" delays. The most positive takeway is that 10 years ago, most of this alignment was planned to be an expressway extension. Policymakers are finally figuring out that transit is a better bet (even if that decision is based on cronies building condos near stations and smiling all the way to the bank)

Very true words planr.

This line is #24 on the list under Mono-rail and is essentially a reworked line that the PT promised to build if they won the BMA election in response to Kaset Uni opposition to the long planned Expressway - see post #127 on page 6 for details.

Instead of running from Namawin north terminating at Ram Inthra to connect with the Pink line it would run the length of Namawin east to connect to the Orange Line. (It is also a section of Samak's old Gold ring line that he drew up at dinner one night on the back of a napkin.)

The line was dropped by the PT when they lost the election but OTP announced a few months ago they were conducting a feasibility study. If it gets approval the timeframes are highly unlikely to be kept but then all announced timeframes have been so that should be no surprise.

This is yet another proposed stupid monorail line which should be heavy rail given the route and potential pax numbers - loads of new housing along Kaset-Nawamin. In fact, if it was me I'd rework the planned interchanges at Khae Rai intersection by changing the Pink line to heavy rail. I'd then reconfigure the Purple line to run east from Khae Rai along Ngam Wong Wan rd and then the Brown line route while the Pink line would continue south from Khae Rai to Taopoon and for future extension south as proposed for the Purple line.

4 lines become 2.

[David48]

Where I live at the moment is about a 250 Baht taxi east of Bearing BTS on the old Sukhumvit Rd.

I know they are extending that line by a number of stations and I have printed out the excellent BTS Map provided over page ... but the writing is unclear as to the station names.

Is there any graphic or information that shows more clearly that extension?

Cheers and Thanks

[planr]

Where I live at the moment is about a 250 Baht taxi east of Bearing BTS on the old Sukhumvit Rd.

I know they are extending that line by a number of stations and I have printed out the excellent BTS Map provided over page ... but the writing is unclear as to the station names.

Is there any graphic or information that shows more clearly that extension?

Cheers and Thanks

The current section under construction (I believe) will terminate at a station called "Kheha Samut Prakan" which is just south of the Sukhumvit / Thanon Sai Luat junction...

[Lakegeneve]

Where I live at the moment is about a 250 Baht taxi east of Bearing BTS on the old Sukhumvit Rd.

I know they are extending that line by a number of stations and I have printed out the excellent BTS Map provided over page ... but the writing is unclear as to the station names.

Is there any graphic or information that shows more clearly that extension?

Cheers and Thanks

Sorry but I didn't previously see your query. This is the thai langauge website for the Bearing to SP ext, http://www.mrta-greenline.net/

Route map;

This may help with detail, http://www.bkkmrt.com/drupal/mydoc/mymap.php

(Note: some of this map is outdated in terms of the other lines).

The 9 stations (of which 2 will be built later) of the 12.6km ext are:

E15 Samrong, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=825

E16 Puchao Saming Phrai, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=827

E17 Erawan, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=829

E18 Naval Academy (to be built later)

E19 SP City Hall, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=833

E20 Srinagarindra, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=835

E21 Phraek Sa, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=837

E22 Sai Luat (to be built later)

E23 Kheha Samut Prakan, http://www.mrt-gbsc.com/?page_id=856

There is also a Thai language video from a few years ago which details the route;

Once this ext is complete a further ext along SE Sukhumvit is planned (which I just realised that I have not listed on the summary list).

[planr]

Word has it that a good chunk of funding for the Grey Line is in the BMA's FY 2014 budget... can you confirm LG?

[Lakegeneve]

Word has it that a good chunk of funding for the Grey Line is in the BMA's FY 2014 budget... can you confirm LG?

Can't confirm but I can check. However, the BMA has invited Chinese, Japanese and Korean companies to invest as a joint venture given the 40 billion budget for the line. It would make sense that the BMA has allocated funds given that the BMA Gov is very keen to start work early next year assuming the Feasibility Study and EIA are completed by the end of this year.

I still think that if this construction does commence by mid 2014 or the 3rd quarter then the BMA will be doing amazingly well! 2015 seems more likely for a construction start.

[Gaccha]

Crashing through old houses...

It amazes me that at the part pointed out on the map for the MRT extension line (above ground at that point). They have opted to bulldoze their way through houses and anything else rather that what they seem to have done everywhere else, which is to simply follow the roads.

Are there any other examples of this?

[JemJem]

I wish the skytrain operated till around 2 am (at least on Friday and Saturday nights only). I don't think that is asking for too much.

Edited September 20, 2013 by JemJem

[brummiebob]

I live on Srinakharin and am eagerly awaiting the yellow line (monorail?) from Lard Prao to Pak Nam

It used to be that every overpass on the road leaves room in the middle for pylons either to construct either an express way/skytrains but recent developments like an underpass at UdomSuk intersection and the road widening, installing drains in the middle of the road had me worried,

if the yellow line were to go ahead, the cost to relocate these infrastructure or needing to purchase private land to construct around these obstacle could make the whole thing financially unfeasible.

After the master plan being adhere to for the past decade, with everyone leaving room for future expansion, the whole thing seems to have been chucked out the window in the last few years.