At last - the Purple Line train in Bangkok is up and running

[Crossy]

6 hours ago, robblok said:

Ah so no free parking.. that explains why Westgate now has new parking tickets that measure time. If they stayed free for all time they might get filled with people parking there just to get on the bts (to safe money paying parking elsewhere)

 

I'll check when I get to the office, but I'm pretty sure the Park and Ride rate is 10 Baht for 2 hours if you ride the train, rather more if you don't.

[Thian]

37 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

There is major construction and loads of IKEA signs next to Westgate, or perhaps someone forgot to tell the contractor (not unknown mind).

 

 

Oh i see, but are they just roadsigns or from IKEA themselves? I haven't been to Westgate for a while. 

 

On their website they don't mention about new stores which is also strange because IKEA should be proud to open more stores.

 

I remember now that she told me the new Bang Yai store was moved to Future Park Rangsit.

Edited August 7, 2016 by Thian

[Crossy]

99% sure it is IKEA signage on the site hoarding, I may get out that way later, I'll have a look then.

[robblok]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

There is major construction and loads of IKEA signs next to Westgate, or perhaps someone forgot to tell the contractor (not unknown mind).

 

I am pretty sure your wife is wrong i go to Westgate multiple times a week. There is still massive IKEA signage and they are still building. The signs are for IKEA and they even have their own part of the road to let all the trucks go there (for building)

[Denim]

18 hours ago, pkspeaker said:

it pretty much goes no-where and is only useful if you live out there in no-where and wanna come into town.. I will not be riding this thing 'for fun' that's for sure

 

Regardless of what it is called now it will be the White Elephant line for quite some time to come. It will be a long time before it makes any profit , even more so if the economy continues to decline. A lot of the stations along the line are built where there are very few moobahns. Not to mention that the buses that have always run along Ratanathibet road now have an journey unhindered by road works.

[Pib]

23 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Trust someone to dig that up again, I'm in at least one of the photos (spot the fat farang)

OK.....now I know who to blame if I get shocked while riding the purple line.  

[freebornjohn]

I am writing this post in answer to the poster who asked whether there were any stations of interest, and to add something/nothing in response to the poster who declared that the line pretty much goes nowhere.

 

If you alight at any of the stations after the line has turned to the west and crossed the river you will have access to the fast-disappearing orchard-land of rural Nonthaburi. There you will find fresh air; greenery; and lovely old temples, connected by a network of forest paths. Once you are off the beaten you will not find any fast-food outlets, air-conditioned shopping malls, or expensive coffee-shops, but if you look carefully you might, "glimpse a naiads reedy head".

Edited August 8, 2016 by freebornjohn

[KhonKaenKowboy]

I see a lot of negativity towards the area served by the PL, but what is so thrilling about the BTS to Bearing?  And the prices they are asking near those far out BTS stops are crazy.  Yeah, Sukhumvit used to be great...now a lot of it sucks, and the cool places are needles in a haystack unless you want to dodge Chinese tourists and eat at Mcdonalds.  I would choose the PL locations over those locations...and you get the river to enjoy....fish/breezes. river taxis.  I've been looking at riverview condos near Talat Kwan for about 750K...15 year old building in good condition.  Might even buy one just to have a place to get away from CM during certain idiotic times of year like New Years...Chinese New Years...Songkran...and the entire burn season....and a good bit of the high season....obnoxious as a sorority party of coke whores.  Love the rainy season, though, and excellent medical/dental care at good prices but I'm sure that could be found in BKK.

[yooyoo]

On 8/7/2016 at 8:39 AM, Crossy said:

 

Currently there's a free bus

 

Missing Link to open sometime.

 

How long is the bus ride?  I assume it drops off at Bang Sue? 

 

How can they plan a new line that ends in the middle of nowhere...?  Thai logic or surveying or both? 

[NCFC]

On 07/08/2016 at 5:47 AM, gk10002000 said:

i saw the photo on the newspaper of the princess riding the purple line, oh and it looked like she was accompanied by about half a dozen military officials

really!

[Crossy]

24 minutes ago, yooyoo said:

 

How long is the bus ride?  I assume it drops off at Bang Sue? 

How can they plan a new line that ends in the middle of nowhere...?  Thai logic or surveying or both? 

 

Depends upon traffic, 15-20 mins.

 

No plan for it to end in the middle of nowhere,  just that the link isn't complete yet. Have you actually been to Tao Poon and seen the station?

 

How is Gautrain, 100% perfect?

 

[tifino]

 

how many motorbikes can be squeezed into one carriage?  

 

[Crossy]

8 minutes ago, tifino said:

how many motorbikes can be squeezed into one carriage?  

 

What makes you think motorcycles are allowed on the trains?

 

Leave your M/C at one of the park and Ride stations.

[yooyoo]

On 8/12/2016 at 11:15 AM, yooyoo said:

 

How long is the bus ride?  I assume it drops off at Bang Sue? 

 

How can they plan a new line that ends in the middle of nowhere...?  Thai logic or surveying or both? 

 

On 8/12/2016 at 11:39 AM, Crossy said:

 

Depends upon traffic, 15-20 mins.

 

No plan for it to end in the middle of nowhere,  just that the link isn't complete yet. Have you actually been to Tao Poon and seen the station?

 

How is Gautrain, 100% perfect?

 

At least the Gautrain doesn't end in the middle  of nowhere.. heheee .. can you link to at other stations before you get to Tao Poon?  You want to tell me that is great planning to have a line that ends in the middle of nowhere?  This is down right stupidity as most of the planning in Thailand !!!

[blackcab]

On 07/08/2016 at 0:55 PM, Crossy said:

Purple Line cards look like this, they also work on the MRT

 

 

Is it true you have an access card that never expires and gives you unlimited free transport on any transport network in the world?

[copa8]

Hope it won't be as crowded/crazy as this. LOL!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3746901/Thought-commute-bad-Shocking-video-shows-women-launching-moving-train-rush-hour-Mumbai.html

 

[Crossy]

13 hours ago, yooyoo said:

At least the Gautrain doesn't end in the middle  of nowhere.. heheee .. can you link to at other stations before you get to Tao Poon?  You want to tell me that is great planning to have a line that ends in the middle of nowhere?  This is down right stupidity as most of the planning in Thailand !!!

 

You can also get a free bus at PP15 (Bang Son) also to Bang Sue. There is also apparently a shuttle SRT train from Bang Son SRT to Bang Sue SRT but it's a bit of a walk from the Purple Line station (there's a skywalk) and it's not free.

 

The PL station at Tao Poon is not "in the middle of nowhere" and the Blue Line link to Bang Sue is well under way, Tao Poon is here  13.806133, 100.530823 you can clearly see the link to Bang Sue running to the east (right) along with the Blue Line extension to the west. Yes, it was poor planning that the link didn't open with the Purple Line but it should be in operation early next year.

 

 

[yooyoo]

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

You can also get a free bus at PP15 (Bang Son) also to Bang Sue. There is also apparently a shuttle SRT train from Bang Son SRT to Bang Sue SRT but it's a bit of a walk from the Purple Line station (there's a skywalk) and it's not free.

 

The PL station at Tao Poon is not "in the middle of nowhere" and the Blue Line link to Bang Sue is well under way, Tao Poon is here  13.806133, 100.530823 you can clearly see the link to Bang Sue running to the east (right) along with the Blue Line extension to the west. Yes, it was poor planning that the link didn't open with the Purple Line but it should be in operation early next year.

 

 

 

That is all good news... look forward to the day on will be able to link from Tao Poon to Bang Sue

[Crossy]

16 hours ago, blackcab said:

Is it true you have an access card that never expires and gives you unlimited free transport on any transport network in the world?

 

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you

 

[Crossy]

Of course the missing-link could be sooner:-

 

http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/08/19/mrta-considering-slashing-fares-purple-line-get-more-riders

 

I'm not going to suggest that the delay was caused by MRTA in the first place ...

 

[Denim]

MRTA may adjust down train fares for Purple Line to attract more passengers

in Business | August 19, 2016 5:29 pm (821 views)

•  

Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), the operator of the Purple Line elevated train system, may consider slashing service fares after it was discovered that the actual number of people using the new service is far below the projection.

Since the launch of the Purple Line between Taopoon and Bang Yai on August 6, MRTA governor Peerayuth Singpattanakul disclosed on Friday that the average number of passengers for each day were about 20,000 against the projection of between 60,000-70,000 passengers\day ...

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/mrta-may-adjust-train-fares-purple-line-attract-passengers/

Edited August 20, 2016 by Crossy
Edited for "Fair Use"

[Denim]

^  Well, no surprise there ....................  even quicker than I would have thought. As I said in post 35 they can expect to make big losses on this line for at least another 5 years until more houses and villages are built along the line to provide it with passengers.

 

Dropping the price will not help at all ........ there are just not enough people who use that route and there are too many buses and micro buses already providing transport  along it..

 

Unlike the extension which will run from Mor Chit to Rangsit. That will be crowded and profitable right from day one.

[robblok]

The fact that the connection is not direct to the other lines and a bus still has to be used counts for something too. I live close to this line and did not expect many people on it. I might have used it if it did connect directly to the other lines. It does not and that is a major drawback. 

[Thian]

They are building condo's at every station along the purple line, huge ones. And after that they'll build condo's in between those, it will be one big street full of condo's..For the richer folks there are plenty of new moobaans, also huge ones.

 

I will use the boats and if they also are no good i will use my motocycle or just shop online. Much easyier and i buy it all direct from China so it's even cheaper than buying it from a shop in BKK.

 

[impulse]

On 8/20/2016 at 0:20 PM, Denim said:

there are just not enough people who use that route and there are too many buses and micro buses already providing transport  along it..

 

Anyone else predicting some road construction that would slow them down to a crawl?  Probably just the cynic in me.

 

If they didn't make their money selling (leasing?) the real estate around the line (which is now worth a lot more than it was without an MRT), it may take a while to sell enough tickets.  But I recall reading about how empty the Suk line of the BTS was for the first few months.  Look at it now.

Edited August 23, 2016 by impulse

[Thian]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Anyone else predicting some road construction that would slow them down to a crawl?  Probably just the cynic in me.

 

If they didn't make their money selling (leasing?) the real estate around the line (which is now worth a lot more than it was without an MRT), it may take a while to sell enough tickets.  But I recall reading about how empty the Suk line of the BTS was for the first few months.  Look at it now.

 

I predict there will be huge condominiums soon at every station of the purple line (and other lines as well). 

 

For Bang Sue that will mean more congestion which is allready very bad. It takes an hour or more to get out of the area by car.

When they have those new condo's they also want a mall so that will be built as well. (read more congestion).

 

What i don't understand is why those woodcompany's don't move out of the area. If i could go there by car i would have bought a lot more teakwood furniture from them (even at their inflated prices, it's cheaper in Europe).