Stay away from BTS

[daboyz1]

There's an outbound train broken down at the Bang Chak station. They're moving outbound trains to the inbound track at On Nut. It's a mess.

[daboyz1]

Looks like they fixed the outbound train at Bang Chak. I'm sure it will be awhile before everything is back to normal though.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

So that's why we waited at each outbound station for 5 or more minutes per station. It was around 5 pm. Fortunately I only had to go to Phra Khanong. Was chatting with a fellow headed to Udom Suk. From Prom Pong to PK, must have taken 30 minutes. 

[little mary sunshine]

20 years ago the BTS was "State of The Art".. Like

everything in Thailand lack of maintenance, incompetent 

inspections and shoody repars and now it breaks down 

frequently....So sad......Do you think they will ever learn??

[brewsterbudgen]

20 years ago the BTS was "State of The Art".. Like
everything in Thailand lack of maintenance, incompetent 
inspections and shoody repars and now it breaks down 
frequently....So sad......Do you think they will ever learn??

Frequently? A slight exaggeration! I commute on it every day, and delays/breakdowns are still very rare.

[daboyz1]

In the photo there were actually two trains on the same track at Bang Chak. I think they pulled the first car in far enough so they could let everyone off.

[little mary sunshine]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Frequently? A slight exaggeration! I commute on it every day, and delays/breakdowns are still very rare.

I was "stuck" twice last week!!!

[Thaidream]

No doubt about the BTS system is second class- overcrowded; lack of escalators; poor maintenance- refuse to put money into the system. The MRT on the other hand is a first class operation.

[Searat7]

The BTS is aging...will be 18 yr old this year. Some breakdowns will occur but when you look at how many people they handle I think they do a pretty good job. Overcrowded cars are a concern though and this could get worse as lines are added or expanded. I wonder if they are planning ahead by ordering additional cars for the trains. The same concern applies to the MRT which still has the original  3 car trains from 2004 when the service started (unlesss there has been recent change). Orders for Siemens cars from Germany will have a long lead time. 

[dluek]

I wouldn't go so far as to say "chaos," but this caused major problems across the BTS system. By 5:30 Siam Station was so packed that people arriving on the Silom line couldn't even get off the train - there was no space left on the platform - so the Silom line was delayed as well. It was a situation where, if they didn't have the barriers between tracks and platform, people probably would have been falling on to the track due to overcrowding. Total mess. I managed to fight my way on to a train for National Stadium and switched to a canal boat then river boat to Saphan Taksin to cross the river and head home (with an impromptu beer in the Khao San neighborhood on the way; sometimes you've got to let these situations work to your advantage.)

[eeyang wah]

2 hours ago, little mary sunshine said:

20 years ago the BTS was "State of The Art".. Like

everything in Thailand lack of maintenance, incompetent 

inspections and shoody repars and now it breaks down 

frequently....So sad......Do you think they will ever learn??

5555555555555555

[shadowofacloud]

48 minutes ago, Searat7 said:

Overcrowded cars are a concern though and this could get worse as lines are added or expanded. I wonder if they are planning ahead by ordering additional cars for the trains. 

Yes, I was actually wondering the same thing a couple days back. I took a long trip along the coast on Sunday and was quite surprised how far the new parts of BTS reach - huge new areas of Bangkok covered. Not sure if just adding new cars will suffice - there is a limit to that. Also wondering if this expansion is somehow taking into consideration the maximum capacity of the system or is it all just a happy go lucky venture.

[eeyang wah]

21 minutes ago, shadowofacloud said:

Yes, I was actually wondering the same thing a couple days back. I took a long trip along the coast on Sunday and was quite surprised how far the new parts of BTS reach - huge new areas of Bangkok covered. Not sure if just adding new cars will suffice - there is a limit to that. Also wondering if this expansion is somehow taking into consideration the maximum capacity of the system or is it all just a happy go lucky venture.

This whole ridiculous country is just a happy go lucky venture.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I would not want to be on the BTS when they add more stations beyond Sam Rong.  I don't think adding another car to the trains will be enough. Good luck to anyone who has moved out to Bearing or beyond. Or lives along the inner stations such as Phra Khanong or On Nut. or even Odum Suk. 

[JeffreyO]

I think the problem isn't the amount of cars.  Trains come frequently enough.  The problem is the amount of lines.  In reality, lots of people take the BTS and then get on a motorbike or a taxi to their next locale.

 

What they do need is more lines that pass through other areas to relieve the Sukhumvit line.  A Srinagarindra line would be nice, connecting to Udom Suk.  Another line on Rama IV connecting to the MRT on Khlong Toei and Phra Khanong BTS would be great.  More lines are needed, not more trains.

[samsensam]

9 minutes ago, JeffreyO said:

I think the problem isn't the amount of cars.  Trains come frequently enough.  The problem is the amount of lines.  In reality, lots of people take the BTS and then get on a motorbike or a taxi to their next locale.

 

What they do need is more lines that pass through other areas to relieve the Sukhumvit line.  A Srinagarindra line would be nice, connecting to Udom Suk.  Another line on Rama IV connecting to the MRT on Khlong Toei and Phra Khanong BTS would be great.  More lines are needed, not more trains.

 

thailand was way behind the curve in building an up to date public transport system and the one they built was totally inadequate for a city the size of bangkok. they're still playing catch up but still there appears to be no overall strategy, for example linking all the major city transport hubs

[brewsterbudgen]

I would not want to be on the BTS when they add more stations beyond Sam Rong.  I don't think adding another car to the trains will be enough. Good luck to anyone who has moved out to Bearing or beyond. Or lives along the inner stations such as Phra Khanong or On Nut. or even Odum Suk. 

It is a concern. I commute from Phra Khanong and getting on a train in the morning rush hour takes a while. If I have time I go the opposite way to Samrong and come back. Sometimes train terminates and turns round at Bearing. When the new stations open I expect many trains will do this.

[daboyz1]

The stations are built for 6 cars, yet they only run 4 car trains. Adding the 2 extra cars would help alot.

[SiamBeast]

Add 2 cars per train, problem solved. Easy, no downtime, everyone happy. Adding lines is also in the works if I remember well.

[Thainess]

At 18 years old, the Skytrain is reaching the end of its service life. I doubt it'll make it past 25 years. Tear the whole thing down and build one fit for purpose.

[jacko45k]

On 27/06/2017 at 9:16 PM, Thaidream said:

No doubt about the BTS system is second class- overcrowded; lack of escalators; poor maintenance- refuse to put money into the system. The MRT on the other hand is a first class operation.

I often wonder how well the reliability compares with say London underground, which is absolutely ancient!

[smutcakes]

18 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I often wonder how well the reliability compares with say London underground, which is absolutely ancient!

I think the reliability is pretty damn good. I use it multiple times a day in peak rush hour for 10 years and breakdowns are few and far between. Due to its passenger load when it does breakdown it is a nightmare though in rush hour.

 

 

[bkk6060]

2 hours ago, smutcakes said:

I think the reliability is pretty damn good. I use it multiple times a day in peak rush hour for 10 years and breakdowns are few and far between. Due to its passenger load when it does breakdown it is a nightmare though in rush hour.

 

 

Yes I think it is pretty good also.  Hell, even the rides at Disneyland break down so things happen it is part of life.  I find it very efficient and reliable much better then the big nothing you have in many major cities.

[elgenon]

I find BTS and MRT to be very efficient overall.

[daboyz1]

I watch it pretty regularly from my balcony because I'm always out there smoking. There are times where the spacing gets out of whack, especially around rush hour. Sometimes you'll see 3 trains in a row in quick succession, and then no train for awhile. I think that's due to first train being packed with people and it taking longer to load and unload passengers.

I use it almost everyday because it's so convenient. There have been times where I didn't feel like walking to whatever station to go home, and taken a taxi instead. I've regretted it every single time because of the Sukhumvit traffic.

[Lakegeneve]

On 6/27/2017 at 9:32 PM, Searat7 said:

The BTS is aging...will be 18 yr old this year. Some breakdowns will occur but when you look at how many people they handle I think they do a pretty good job. Overcrowded cars are a concern though and this could get worse as lines are added or expanded. I wonder if they are planning ahead by ordering additional cars for the trains. The same concern applies to the MRT which still has the original  3 car trains from 2004 when the service started (unlesss there has been recent change). Orders for Siemens cars from Germany will have a long lead time. 

BTSC last year ordered 46 new sets (4 cars). 22 to be built in China by CRRC and 24 to be built by the SIemens factory in Turkey.

 

The new rolling stock is for the following;

1) 15 new sets for the Sukhumvit south ext to Samut Prakhan,

2) 21 new sets for the Sukhumvit north ext to Khu Khot,

3) 7 new sets for the existing BTS lines capacity (which currently has around 40 sets),

4) 3 new sets for spares.

 

Deliveries which start from mid 2018. Order to delivery is usually 2 years but the Chinese firms tend to take longer.

 

The BTSC has been terrible in the past ordering new rolling stock way too late given pax growth rates rather than ahead of the pax growth curve eg. as with the first order received in 2010 when overcrowding was a significant problem. However, finally they are cashed up and able to order rolling stock. 

 

The one problem is that the BTSC should be moving to 5 car sets around now so really at least half of this 46 should have been 5 car sets not 4 cars.

 

Last note, the BEM (previously BMCL) was originally meant to order new rolling stock in 2008 but could not do so due to debt issues. New trains should have been received by 2013 but still MRT Blue Line pax are waiting.......they won't arrive until the extension opens in 2019!

[Lakegeneve]

On 6/28/2017 at 2:49 AM, JeffreyO said:

I think the problem isn't the amount of cars.  Trains come frequently enough.  The problem is the amount of lines.  In reality, lots of people take the BTS and then get on a motorbike or a taxi to their next locale.

 

What they do need is more lines that pass through other areas to relieve the Sukhumvit line.  A Srinagarindra line would be nice, connecting to Udom Suk.  Another line on Rama IV connecting to the MRT on Khlong Toei and Phra Khanong BTS would be great.  More lines are needed, not more trains.

You've basically outlined the MRTA Yellow line which will run down Srinagarin and sort of the BMA Grey Line which will connect Rama 4 to Tong lor

 

Many BTS/MRTA/SRT lines are already planned. By the end of this year 7 new lines/exts will be under construction.

 

Check the list and map here on at the bottom of page 34;

A new update will be completed soon on that thread.

[JeffreyO]

8 hours ago, Lakegeneve said:

You've basically outlined the MRTA Yellow line which will run down Srinagarin and sort of the BMA Grey Line which will connect Rama 4 to Tong lor

 

Many BTS/MRTA/SRT lines are already planned. By the end of this year 7 new lines/exts will be under construction.

 

Check the list and map here on at the bottom of page 34;

A new update will be completed soon on that thread.

 

Well, I have heard a lot of speak many times.  I really hope they go through with their plans but I question if it will actually occur.

[Lakegeneve]

On 7/4/2017 at 0:09 AM, JeffreyO said:

 

Well, I have heard a lot of speak many times.  I really hope they go through with their plans but I question if it will actually occur.

Although, I'm not exactly sure who exactly you are referring to - remembering that there are many different agencies involved - your point is very valid. Always lots of talk and hot air and little action. 

 

Not one new line/extension has started construction on time nor been completed within the original schedule. However, that is of course the norm for everything in Thailand.

 

As I posted previously, "By the end of this year 7 new lines/exts will be under construction".

 

More specifically;

1) MRTA Blue line ext,

2) BTS southern ext,

3) BTS northern ext,

4) SRT Dark Red Line (Suburban line)

5) MRTA Orange line Phase 1 (east section)

6) MRTA Blue line extension phase 2 

7) Either one of MRTA Pink or Yellow monorail lines, if not both, will have started preliminary works.

 

2018 should might the following;

8) MRTA Purple line Phase 2 (south ext) - highly likely to start works

9) BMA Grey Monorail line

10) SRT ARL ext to DMK

[bkk6060]

Yes too many agencies I think it s a little stupid that I can use my Rabbit card for the BTS and even buy lunch at Mc'Donalds or Siam food court etc. with it. But, cannot use it for MRT.