Tulsi joins the party of Common Sense

[webfact]

BTS Skytrain Route Extension on Track to Open on December 5

The extension of the BTS Skytrain route fromTaksin to Bangwa, is being accelerated, and is expected to open on December 5.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Teerachon Manomaipiboon said Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukumpan Boripat has ordered Bangkok Deputy Jaroen Chutikarn, a representative of the Committee of Bangkok and the the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority, to coordinate and discuss with executives and the committee of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority about the extensions of the BTS Silom line, from Taksin to Bangwa.

The 5.3-kilometer extension is currently in its final stages of construction, and is expected to open on December 5.

Meanwhile, the coordination between the new government and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration seems to being going well, despite belonging to rival political parties.

-- Tan Network 2011-09-19

[kp66]

currently in its final stages of construction

I live in this area. Last time I checked, there was no station nor construction works, though the elevated bridge has been completed for a long time already (about 10 years if I'm not wrong).

I don't see the year mentioned in the article so I guess they are talking about 2025.

TIT

[Guest]

Saw some guys working on one section a couple of days ago, but as you say, there are no stations. The report didn't say 5 December of which year

[kp66]

Saw some guys working on one section a couple of days ago, but as you say, there are no stations. The report didn't say 5 December of which year

Yes, that's right, as I said above, it could very well be 2025

Seriously I have doubts about December 5, 2011. I hope I'm wrong.

[barryw52]

I have seen references to Dec 2012. I am thinkingreference to Dec 2011 maybe just a little optimistic.

[gkinbkk]

Another 100k of riders on the BTS system every day, that should be interesting!

[planr]

I have seen references to Dec 2012. I am thinkingreference to Dec 2011 maybe just a little optimistic.

Another 100k of riders on the BTS system every day, that should be interesting!

The scheduled opening is Dec 5, 2012. The contract to build the stations (as the viaduct is finished already) was signed on Feb 4, 2011, with construction to be completed within 720 days.

Projections for 2016 from a consultant report to the MRTA suggest that the new Onnut-Bearing extension will have about 126K riders per day while the section from Taksin Bridge to Bang Wa (which includes the new extension) is forecast to have about 165K per day, so you may not be far off that the extension will add another 100K riders to the network. This of course is entirely dependent on the real estate market and whether or not residential projects really start to take off near the yet-to-be-completed stations. As it stands in 2011, I don't think there is enough demand to warrant that kind of jump.

Another thing to consider is that the BTS has a number of 4-car trains on order to be delivered in 2012, and will probably need to add more by 2016 anyway, so I don't think the current rush hour issues will loom quite so large a few years from now. But hey, TIT, so who knows?

[patrijs]

Civil engineering work has only just begun at S9 and S10, and it will be at least 20 months before all four new stations are complete. If the extension to Bearing is anything to go by, it will be another two years before the BMA gets around to fixing the track and the signalling, unless the Authority can be persuaded to carry out the installation concurrently with the station construction. December 5th 2014 is thus a more realistic opening date.

I read somewhere that the BTS has ordered an additional car for each of the Siemens trainsets running on the Sukhumvit line, but that delivery of these cars is not expected until 2013.

The new 4-car, Chinese-made trainsets on the Silom Line are already running full at rush hours. When the Taksin to Bangwa extension opens, not only will BTS require another 4 to 6 trains, but each train will need to be larger to accommodate the increased passenger load. Can we urge BTS to do a little forward thinking, and to order now the required new, 6-car sets and another two intermediate cars for each of the 12 existing 4-car sets ? It might just be possible to put together the delivery of the new trains with the completion of the extended line in three to four years' time, thus ensuring a comfortable travelling experience for new and existing passengers.

Incidentally, where is train number 46 ?

[Lakegeneve]

currently in its final stages of construction

I live in this area. Last time I checked, there was no station nor construction works, though the elevated bridge has been completed for a long time already (about 10 years if I'm not wrong).

Works on the viaduct commenced in 2002 and were completed in 2006 save for a small section near Phetkasem.

If you live in the area it is strange that you haven't seen preliminary works on S9 & S10 which started 3-4 months ago, albeit with some delays due to the Highways Dept stopping works for a period as they allege they were not informed about the designs and construction timeline of the stations.

Edited September 27, 2011 by Lakegeneve

[Lakegeneve]

I read somewhere that the BTS has ordered an additional car for each of the Siemens trainsets running on the Sukhumvit line, but that delivery of these cars is not expected until 2013.

The new 4-car, Chinese-made trainsets on the Silom Line are already running full at rush hours. When the Taksin to Bangwa extension opens, not only will BTS require another 4 to 6 trains, but each train will need to be larger to accommodate the increased passenger load. Can we urge BTS to do a little forward thinking, and to order now the required new, 6-car sets and another two intermediate cars for each of the 12 existing 4-car sets ? It might just be possible to put together the delivery of the new trains with the completion of the extended line in three to four years' time, thus ensuring a comfortable travelling experience for new and existing passengers.

Incidentally, where is train number 46 ?

The additional 35, 1 car carriages for the Suk line will be delivered gradually from early next year.

BTSC has said that they will purchase 5 extra 4 cars sets for the Bang Wa ext if the BMA awards them the contract to operate the extension - not sure where that process is at. Why does the BTSC not purchase extra rolling stock ahead of time? Due to a lack of funds, being a private operator.

See more info (post $148),

[snooky]

Lets hope the BTS will order any new trains from Siemens or a reputable company and not those quirky Chinese trains currently running on the Silom Line. You don't dare stand without holding on when they come to a stop at stations - it is though they are programmed purposely to simulate stopping, then drifting for a few feet and then suddenly slamming to a stop. They have been operating long enough to iron out any problems with different computer controlled systems.

Of course, they might just be trying to emulate the stopping habits of the local bus drivers since most people are used to that.