Bt20 promotional fare ends for airport link service

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Jan 4 – The Bt20 promotion fare for the airport rail link service between the city centre and Suvarnabhumi airport which expired on Monday will not be extended, according to an executive of the state corporation.

Chamroon Tangpaisarnkit, chairman of the SRT Electrified Train (SRTET) which operates the airport link, said the collection of Bt20 fares in the 11am-2 pm timeframe from September 30-December 31 last year had not significantly increased the number of passengers but instead created a monthly loss of Bt1.8 million.

The marketing department was instructed to come up with a new promotion to attract more passengers, he said, adding that the Bt20 promotional fare will be suspended temporarily.

Unlike the Skytrain, widely known as BTS, which runs in the city centre, the airport link operates in the suburbs and is crowded during the morning and evening rush hours, Mr Chamroon said.

He predicted more airport link passengers this year after an improvement of facilities at most stations.

The improved facilities include more elevators at stations, expansion of entrances and exits at Makkasan station and construction of a walkway connection between the airport link and underground train at Petchburi station.

SRTET has also sought permission from the Airports of Thailand to sell airport link tickets at Suvarnabhumi airport’s arrival hall to attract more passengers, he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-01-04

problem is not the facility but the "city center" location.

people still need taxi from the busiest location in BKK, so many end up paying just as much for a taxi from airport to hotel or home as from the station to hotel or home, defeating the purpose of the link.

Also people with luggage are not exactly thrilled with carrying it around the stations

I got a chance to ride the airport link last week during the promotional period.

Spent too long at the airports coffee shop that I ended up purchasing my return ticket 30mins past 2pm which supposedly jumps to 60 baht.

The machines kept dispensing tickets for 20 baht for me and everyone behind me...guess the timer was malfunctioning . Wonder how long that's been going on.

Not surprised there was a big chunk of profit loss from that alone.

Edited January 4, 201313 yr by tangcoral

problem is not the facility but the "city center" location.

people still need taxi from the busiest location in BKK, so many end up paying just as much for a taxi from airport to hotel or home as from the station to hotel or home, defeating the purpose of the link.

Also people with luggage are not exactly thrilled with carrying it around the stations

I was very happy with the service to Pratunam.

But the integration with the Skytrain and regional bus stations is still poor.

When a company builds an airport link doubling as a commuter railway line, designs and locates the city terminus badly, and puts only half the number of stations on the line that it should, it can only expect to fail as a paying business.

A case in point, between Ramkhamhaeng and Makkasan, a distance of at least two kilometres, there is no station. This means that the company omitted to provide any easy access for the huge lower Sukhumvit and New Phetburi Road residential and business area. Idiocy.

But the integration with the Skytrain and regional bus stations is still poor.

It is directly connected to the BTS Skytrain at Phaya Thai. The connection is as good as any in the world. There are no other places where the ARL and BTS meet, hence no other connections. The connection with the MRT subway at Makkasan / Petchaburi leaves much to be desired, but a new direct connection (without have to cross Khampaeng Phet 7 hauling your luggage, etc) is under construction and should open by Songkran.

When a company builds an airport link doubling as a commuter railway line, designs and locates the city terminus badly, and puts only half the number of stations on the line that it should, it can only expect to fail as a paying business.

A case in point, between Ramkhamhaeng and Makkasan, a distance of at least two kilometres, there is no station. This means that the company omitted to provide any easy access for the huge lower Sukhumvit and New Phetburi Road residential and business area. Idiocy.

A commuter line is planned and operated differently from an inner-city line. The ARL is a hybrid of the two, much like the BART system in San Francisco. It has inner-city station (Phaya Thai to Ramkhamhaeng) and suburban stations from Hua Mak to Lad Krabang. Given the "limitations" that come with such a service, the City Line does quite well, as evidenced by the fact that ridership is doing well. There is/was a planned station at the Khlong Dan Depot (near RCA) to bridge the gap between Makkasan and Ramkhamaeng but I do not know why it was not built.

As for the Express Line, Makkasan is a terrible (though obvious and available location). The express service to Phaya Thai attracts more riders than does the service to Makkasan, likely owing to the direct BTS connection mentioned above. Unfortunately, the only alternative for an "inner city" terminal would be to increase the cost of the project by several times by tunneling deep under the city and perhaps having interchanges and check-in points like Hong Kong at Asoke and Silom. While it would undoubtedly increase ridership by quite a bit, I highly doubt it would increase the economic and financial feasibility of the project.

Edited January 5, 201313 yr by planr

The express train itself is great. But...getting to and fro. The lack of signage to the exit closest to the airport link at Petchburi MRT is astounding, as is the appalling route to get to it from there: no pavement across the railway tracks, massive curbs between road, pavement, loose paving stones on the pavement itself. Just awful.