Airport rail link announces record number of passengers

[Lite Beer]

Airport rail link announces record number of passengers
The Sunday Nation:

BANGKOK: -- Airport Rail Link Co yesterday revealed a new record of 69,608 passengers for its city line and 1,473 passengers for the express line as of December, totalling 71,294. In November, there were 47,597 city line users and 1,473 express line passengers, totalling 49,070.

Airport Rail Link Co chief executive Peerakan Kaewwongwattana said the company was building 10 more escalators at its Hua Mark, Ban Thab Chang and Lat Krabang stations, which would be completed in the next six months.

The company is also in a process of buying new lifts, with two lifts planned for each station. Roofing panels would also be built at the entrances of six stations, as well as Phayathai Station's pedestrian bridge, he added.

-- The Nation 2013-12-15

[lomatopo]

Amazing what an influx of red, white and blue clad, whistle-bearing passengers can do to increase ridership.

Would be nice to know the exact periods being measured, "... as of December", and "In November", are challenging to understand. Not sure if the "In November" figures are for Nov. 1 - 30, and / or the "as of December figures are for Dec. 1 - 14?

Good news on the station upgrades.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Wow 1473 passengers in one month for the express airport link? Let me get my Abacus out here.......less than 50 passengers a day??? !!!! Will take a while to get any king of ROI from this lame duck.

[farangbanok]

Probably none of the passengers were intentionally on the City Line, but all 69,608 were tourists rushing to the Airport

[bushman1666]

Those numbers are seriously embarrassing! Maybe better to have kept quiet about passenger numbers. The phrase "White elephant" comes to mind.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MaiChai]

Get rid of the Express line? Even rich foreigners dont want to pay the higher price.

Trains need to run more frequently; they are always packed.

Thumbs up for the new foot bridge at Maccasan. Thais finally realise that train lines need to interconnect.

[steveyinasia]

Travelling to the airport at least twice a onto on the train, I see the city line being very busy, mainly for local travel though and not full of airport travellers. It would be interesting to see the figures for those that terminate at the airport as a % of the overall figures. To me, the airport express is a joke, not frequent enough to be a any use at all. The KL express is so much better and the HK express best of all, Bangkok's is just a joke.

[teatree]

1473 express passengers = 50 passengers per day

Approx 80 express train trips per day = less than 1 passenger per train???

I knew the express was an absolute farce but even I am shocked by how low the figures are. Just how many trains are flying past without a single passenger on board?

Utterly stupid. Get rid of the express, there is no more face left to save.

[teatree]

Although I suspect the figures are average daily users, not the total for the entire month.

Still, The express is clearly not needed.

[mrfill]

When staying in Lat Krabang this line is incredibly useful. 30Bt to Makkasan is a bargain. Vastly cheaper and quicker than any taxi.

The line is used a lot by locals going in and out the city (it goes from nearly full to nearly empty after Lat Krabang). The express has always been a joke. Nice if you like travelling on trains with lots of space.

Does this new bridge go to Petchaburi MRT station? I do hope so. Even with the 100 yard golf cart ride it is utterly hopeless at present

[lomatopo]

Although I suspect the figures are average daily users, not the total for the entire month.

Yes, these figures are DAILY figures, but suspect they represent one single day, rather than an average for some period, which had the greatest ridership, so "cherry-picked", likely 9 Dec. if I had to hazard a guess.

Edited December 16, 2013 by lomatopo

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

City Line trains are always busy and many passengers are going to the airport, judging by the crowds who get off at Swampy and the crowds waiting to go downtown.

But I like the express train. I time myself to arrive at Makkasan about 15 minutes before the hour, when the trains leave. However, at the airport, there's no way I'm going to wait 30-60 minutes for a train downtown. So I get in the CL queue.

So no wonder, the Express runs almost empty. I have often shared an entire car with only one or two more passengers. I imagine it's a timing thing. Most people arrive when they arrive. No way are they going to wait a long time for the Express. So, in the end, the Express service must be closed and more CL departures added.

[wileycoyote]

This is encouraging news

[In Search of Space]

I don't mind paying the extra for the Express, but I always seem to miss it by 5 minutes, so take teh City Line. Forget the express and put the seated carriages on the City Line - not saying I'm old and can't stand up for 30 minutes

[lomatopo]

If the tracks could be re-configured west of Makassan to allow a single express train to service both Makassan and Phaya Thai, and there was some aggressive pricing/promotion, and if it ran with 20 minute head-ways, the Express might have a viable reason to exist. As it is currently operated, it is an embarrassment which should be put to death. Suspect there are SRT nimrods who had a hand in the original idea who can't kill it without looking like d-bags, hence it lives on. Maybe try some face-saving strategy like, "due to increased customer demand, we will be operating all trains on the City Line schedule, serviced with both City Line trains and Express Line trains, with increased frequency, while maintaining the existing City Line fare structure, until such time as the tracks can be re-configured, and new train sets are delivered, at which time the Express Line service may be re-instituted."

I assume the Express Line trains are as safe for standing passengers - hand-holds, as the City Line trains and that they can hold almost as many passengers as City Line trains? Not sure what, if anything, they could do anything with that fourth car?

[Lakegeneve]

Although I suspect the figures are average daily users, not the total for the entire month.

Yes, these figures are DAILY figures, but suspect they represent one single day, rather than an average for some period, which had the greatest ridership, so "cherry-picked", likely 9 Dec. if I had to hazard a guess.

And loma - as someone who actually uses his intellectual faculties - wins the prize!

Again, poor reporting, one needs to connect the dots and put the figures in a summerised logical context when the Nation obviously cannot.

The Nov figure is a daily ave and accords with the 50-55K daily ave of the last few months though obviously at the lower end. The 71K Dec figure is indeed for 9 Dec and represents a new highest pax figure for a day ever on the ARL since it opened.

* I forgot to add the thaipost link for further info; http://www.thaipost.net/news/141213/83361

Edited December 17, 2013 by Lakegeneve

[whybother]

Get rid of the Express line? Even rich foreigners dont want to pay the higher price.

Trains need to run more frequently; they are always packed.

Thumbs up for the new foot bridge at Maccasan. Thais finally realise that train lines need to interconnect.

I would pay the higher price IF it was convenient.

[teatree]

If the tracks could be re-configured west of Makassan to allow a single express train to service both Makassan and Phaya Thai, and there was some aggressive pricing/promotion, and if it ran with 20 minute head-ways, the Express might have a viable reason to exist. As it is currently operated, it is an embarrassment which should be put to death. Suspect there are SRT nimrods who had a hand in the original idea who can't kill it without looking like d-bags, hence it lives on. Maybe try some face-saving strategy like, "due to increased customer demand, we will be operating all trains on the City Line schedule, serviced with both City Line trains and Express Line trains, with increased frequency, while maintaining the existing City Line fare structure, until such time as the tracks can be re-configured, and new train sets are delivered, at which time the Express Line service may be re-instituted."

I assume the Express Line trains are as safe for standing passengers - hand-holds, as the City Line trains and that they can hold almost as many passengers as City Line trains? Not sure what, if anything, they could do anything with that fourth car?

There has already been an aggressive price reduction. When the express first started it was around 150b a trip. Then they dropped the fare to 90b and as far as I know (never used the express service) it still is.

The express trains have hand holds for standing passenders but I doubt they can hold as many people as the City trains as they are full of seats.

I have often wondered about the fourth car on the express. Do they actually put luggage in it? Is it for the check in service at Makkasan or for every passenger?

[lomatopo]

I'd expect these numbers to be exceeded this Sunday.

[kkerry]

I'd pay the extra but as someone else said, I always seemed to just miss the Express so I get the regular train instead which must just about be the most jam packed train in Thailand if some of the peak hour rides I've been on are any indication.

[Bangkokadoodledoo]

That's my problem since they cut down the schedule so harshly. I used to always take the express. Now it's not available in the morning from Phaya Thai, and when it is available it's only once an hour or whatever. Too big a headache to bother with.