Thailand - BMA to close Saphan Taksin station to ease bottleneck

BMA to close Saphan Taksin station to ease bottleneck
Thanatpong Kongsai
The Nation June 1, 2012 1:00 am

Plans to spend Bt670m on walkway to Surasak Station Kanittha Thepchorn,

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is planning to close down the Saphan Taksin Skytrain station in order to ease the bottleneck over its stretch across the Chao Phraya River. "The BTSC has agreed to cooperate," Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday.

He unveiled the plan at a time when the BMA decision to award a Bt190billion contract to BTSC, the current operator of the Skytrain system, via Krungthep Thanakom (KT) is under intense scrutiny. KT is the legal investment arm of the city administration.

BTSC has a 30year concession for the original network of the Skytrain system, which has a combined length of 23.5 kilometres and 23 stations, including Saphan Taksin. Only after its concession expires in 2029, will all properties related to this original system belong to BMA.

"BTSC has the right to not cooperate, but it is willing to help. This is a reason why we have been working closely with BTSC all along," Sukhumbhand said.



http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/BMA-to-close-Saphan-Taksin-station-to-ease-bottlen-30183268.html

That's awful. And 670m THB for a walkway? With that money they should be able to renovate the station and add a second track through it.:mad::mad:

Edit: The equivalent of $20m USD isn't sufficient funds for a remake of the station. But the bottleneck was evident from the get go and a closure is a major hassle for any BTS/ferry transfer.

I predict this will never happen. They will spend the money, build the walkway, and then still keep the station open. Oh the things that come down the idea pipeline here.... 555 TiT

And they didn't add the second track at the time of expansion because .... :confused:

EmailKid

That's awful. And 670m THB for a walkway? With that money they should be able to renovate the station and add a second track through it.:mad::mad:

Edit: The equivalent of $20m USD isn't sufficient funds for a remake of the station. But the bottleneck was evident from the get go and a closure is a major hassle for any BTS/ferry transfer.

Exactly. That transfer to the river express has always been a crucial linkage during nearly every one of my visits to

So where will people board the ferries to all of the riverside hotels?

So where will people board the ferries to all of the riverside hotels?

Considering the river isn't changing course the ferries will continue to be in their current location. It's the BTS station that is being proposed to move.

Considering the river isn't changing course the ferries will continue to be in their current location. It's the BTS station that is being proposed to move.

:D:D:D Though I guess they could also construct a 670m canal to Surasak...


Though will someone explain the bottleneck phenomenon .... I'm guessing it's something like a single line across the bridge, but as I've never been further than the bridge/ferry station, and I'm stunningly unobservant, I can't be sure.

:D:D:D Though I guess they could also construct a 670m canal to Surasak...


Though will someone explain the bottleneck phenomenon .... I'm guessing it's something like a single line across the bridge, but as I've never been further than the bridge/ferry station, and I'm stunningly unobservant, I can't be sure.

Originally there was one track into the station. When BTS opened two further stations out to Wang Wian Yai across the river they never added an additional track (or platform). So half the platform is for pax to Want Wian Yai and the other half to Siam. When a train is in the stations the opposite track must wait for the train to leave... thus the bottleneck in trains and problems on the platform.

I can only offer anecdotal evidence from my one recent stop there to change to the boat (and back to BTS), but even during rush hour it seemed to flow relatively smoothly.

Quite frankly I'm surprised they are making such a fuss about it.

Granted, given the way the station is set up, it may have been difficult to add the new track when the extended the line, but maybe not much harder than building the two new tracks over the river.

And given how many people I see connecting to the boats ..... :rolleyes: :eek: :(

EmailKid

:D:D:D Though I guess they could also construct a 670m canal to Surasak...


Though will someone explain the bottleneck phenomenon .... I'm guessing it's something like a single line across the bridge, but as I've never been further than the bridge/ferry station, and I'm stunningly unobservant, I can't be sure.

There is a single platform at Saphan Taksin, which services both in-bound and out-bound trains. Hence you have people waiting on this same, smallish, narrow platform to go either in-bound or out-bound (yes, they have tried to separate in-bound and out-bound pax with limited effectiveness), and you have people getting off both in-bound and out-bound trains. The crowds can be quite crushing during commute times, and downright dangerous. This also contributes to delays as it leads to longer dwell times, as out-bound trains queue before entering Saphan Taksin station, which backs-up the system. Sometimes the huge dual platforms at Siam are so crowded lines snake down the stairs as a result of delays on the Silom Line..


I can only offer anecdotal evidence from my one recent stop there to change to the boat (and back to BTS), but even during rush hour it seemed to flow relatively smoothly.

Quite frankly I'm surprised they are making such a fuss about it.

Granted, given the way the station is set up, it may have been difficult to add the new track when the extended the line, but maybe not much harder than building the two new tracks over the river.

And given how many people I see connecting to the boats ..... :rolleyes: :eek: :(

EmailKid

If you commute regularly on the Silom line you would understand the fuss.

Saphan Taksin was originally designed as a temporary station.




FWIW it sounds as though my original post left out a pretty important piece, sorry.


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/296004/taksin-station-removal-begins

BTS SKYTRAIN

Taksin station removal begins


The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is dismantling the platform at Saphan Taksin BTS station above Sathon Bridge to make room for the installation of dual tracks.


The Saphan Taksin BTSstation next to the Sathon Bridge will soon be dismantled as part of City Hall’s project to install dual skytrain tracks. PATIPATJANTHONG

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who inspected the station yesterday, said the installation of dual tracks will ease the flow of electric trains on the route.At the moment, a single track carries trains going both ways between the Bangkok and the Thon Buri sides of the Chao Phraya River, leading to bottlenecks.

The BMA would solve the problem by laying another track through where the station's platform is built. The BMA will build a moving walkway, or "walkalator", to carry commuters from Saphan Taksin station to Surasak station 700 metres away once the station has been dismantled. Earlier, the BMA sought permission from the Rural Roads Department to expand Sathon Bridge to accommodate the installation of another track and keep Saphan Taksin station. However, the department rejected the request.

The BMA and Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTS) later agreed to remove Taksin station to accommodate the twin tracks. The station serves 50,000-70,000 commuters a day.

The additional track will cost 70 million baht and the walkalator will cost 600 million baht. The Bangkok Council has approved a budget for them and the work can start once the Interior Ministry gives the BMA the go-ahead. "Without Taksin station, electric trains from the extended line [in Thon Buri] will be able to cross the Chao Phraya River faster, which will be more convenient for people from the Thon Buri side," MR Sukhumbhand said.

The bottleneck at Saphan Taksin station has slowed train traffic, especially during peak hours. Close cooperation between the BMA and BTS led to the decision to dismantle the platform. The station belongs to the company. The governor also inspected the construction of an elevated walkway at Wong Wian Yai station.

Granted, given the way the station is set up, it may have been difficult to add the new track when the extended the line, but maybe not much harder than building the two new tracks over the river.

It would have taken a station revamp to add the second track and they chose the easy way out. The real problem is the original design and that mistake wasn't made at the terminus (Phaya Thai) of the airport rail link.


And given how many people I see connecting to the boats ..... :rolleyes: :eek: :(

EmailKid

If the idea is to make people walk btween the river to Surasak, just shy of 1km, then people are going to find another way to go and BTS is going to lose alot of pax.

That's awful. And 670m THB for a walkway? With that money they should be able to renovate the station and add a second track through it.:mad::mad:

Edit: The equivalent of $20m USD isn't sufficient funds for a remake of the station. But the bottleneck was evident from the get go and a closure is a major hassle for any BTS/ferry transfer.

They don't need to add the second track because the second track is existed under the current platform of Saphan Taksin station.

The original plan for BTS line is not have the Saphan Taksin satation. It is only temporary station.

The additional track will cost 70 million baht and the walkalator will cost 600 million baht.

Wow, that's $20 million dollars for a moving walkway. Something smells of fish here...

Yet another completely bone-headed move by Bangkok transportation planners. The profound lack of coordination and foresight is unbelieveable.

I certainly hope the closure doesn't come to fruition. The marginal benefits of slightly faster/easier river crossings that result from the end of single-tracking at Saphan Taksin are surely outweighed by the inconvenience to the 50,000+ daily commuters who will have to make the journey to Surasak on foot.

It seems that two tracks and two platforms at Saphan Taksin is an impossibility, due to the height of the bridge approaches. But what about the other side? Could a new station be built on the Thon Buri side, such that commuters and visitors on all the hotel shuttle boats could go there? I doubt it, but I haven't looked closely enough to really assess it.

They don't need to add the second track because the second track is existed under the current platform of Saphan Taksin station.

The original plan for BTS line is not have the Saphan Taksin station. It is only temporary station.

This is the problem. There is no space for two tracks and two platforms now because of the road either side going over the bridge. To have the two tracks with platforms would mean one above the other, as at Siam - very expensive to do that now.

However, there could be a cheaper option to improve the dual flow of trains over the single track - upgrading the signalling system. Currently, the time taken for one train to clear the single track section, the points (switch) to change, and the oncoming train to move forward can be painfully slow.

If you live and work on the river, this station at peak hours is a disaster, and the new system will work perfectly, getting trains across the river at a fast pace. The extra time to walk to the Surasak station will only be 5 minutes.

If you live and work on the river, this station at peak hours is a disaster, and the new system will work perfectly, getting trains across the river at a fast pace. The extra time to walk to the Surasak station will only be 5 minutes. <redacted>

Be careful of making assumptions based on the FT location subtitle. I'm not Chinese. :D

I'm sure the canny Bangkok planners have satisfied themselves that Surasak can cope with two stations' worth of commuters.

I'm sure the canny Bangkok planners have satisfied themselves that Surasak can cope with two stations' worth of commuters.

I'm not so sure the commuters will want to deal with a 0.7KM trek in the heat/rain between Surasak and the ferry.

Yet another completely bone-headed move by Bangkok transportation planners. The profound lack of coordination and foresight is unbelieveable.
Again, as already stated in this thread, they're returning to the original plan here. It's the station that was the temporary workaround.

That said, this was Plan B, as BTS originally wanted to expand the bridge so they could fit a full-size station onto it. But this would have cost gigabaht and required permissions from everybody and their uncle Somchai, whereas this way they're in full control and actually have a chance at completing the work before the next 4 stations of the Silom Line towards Bang Wa open in late 2012 and mid-2013.

I certainly hope the closure doesn't come to fruition. The marginal benefits of slightly faster/easier river crossings that result from the end of single-tracking at Saphan Taksin are surely outweighed by the inconvenience to the 50,000+ daily commuters who will have to make the journey to Surasak on foot.
That figure is incorrect, the actual number of commuters transferring from ferry to BTS is around 4,000. And while it's a bit brutal, it's better to inconvenience them than the around 600,000 people using the rest of the system every day, which is what's happening right now.

It seems that two tracks and two platforms at Saphan Taksin is an impossibility, due to the height of the bridge approaches. But what about the other side? Could a new station be built on the Thon Buri side, such that commuters and visitors on all the hotel shuttle boats could go there? I doubt it, but I haven't looked closely enough to really assess it.
Bit late for that, and there isn't really even the infrastructure for a pier there. But I do agree that they should have planned a 'real' station on the river since day one.

<snip, excerpt from Bangkok Post below>
... Earlier, the BMA sought permission from the Rural Roads Department to expand Sathon Bridge to accommodate the installation of another track and keep Saphan Taksin station. However, the department rejected the request....


Am I the only person that finds the "Rural Roads Department" dictating policy to the BMA to be a bit back-@ssward?

Am I the only person that finds the "Rural Roads Department" dictating policy to the BMA to be a bit back-@ssward?
No, it's you and then one guy on ThaiVisa. (jokingly honest)


jpatokal has the best reply in this thread by far. ^ ^

EDIT: Actually the thread about this on ThaiVisa is a huge cluster F. A bunch of complainers over there! That's why I love the FlyerTalk Thailand forum :)

I'm sure the canny Bangkok planners have satisfied themselves that Surasak can cope with two stations' worth of commuters.

In the recent past, and for several years, I commuted to both Surasak and Saphan Taksin, almost every day via the BTS. The Surasak station seems quite a bit larger, and obviously with two full-length platforms it seems like it should be able handle the increased load? I honestly cannot recall how many stairs/escalators there are from the platform to the mezzanine, but in many stations one or more stair-case can be added. They've just completed two new staircases between the mezzanine and platform at the in-bound side of On-Nut. I assume any extra load will arrive/depart at the mezzanine level?

I am certain the walkway/'travelator' between Surasak and Saphan Taksin will be fully covered, like those between Chit Lom and Siam for example, although it will be interesting to see how they thread this at some of the pinch-points, and existing overhead walkways. You can look at Google Streetview to get a feel for the environment.

I actually kind of like the idea of these elevated walkways, assuming they install stairs to the street at decent intersections/intervals. It actually might make it easier, safer and more pleasant for many whose destinations are between Surasak and the river?

I guess I am not seeing this as such a hugely negative happening as most here? It seems like it is the best option.

The motorcy taxi medallion (colored, numbered vests) value in that area probably just tripled overnight. ;)




Quote:
Originally Posted by jiejie
Am I the only person that finds the "Rural Roads Department" dictating policy to the BMA to be a bit back-@ssward?


I wouldn't read too much into this name. It is probably a loose translation, or left-over from a time when most roads were "country" and/or lead to/came from the "country". Assuming the worst based on a line in a newspaper article is culturally insensitive at best.

Actually the thread about this on ThaiVisa is a huge cluster F. A bunch of complainers over there! That's why I love the FlyerTalk Thailand forum :)

Single track operation would not be a problem with a more reactif signalling and possibly manual train operation.

The real problem is overcrowding of the single platform and slow passenger exchange at the station.

I wonder how the big hotel interests (especially that horrible Shangri La) will be able to press their view.

Regarding ThaiVisa you can just not compare it to FT. Some frustrated expats discussing in constant fear from the overdue royals and strong ties with a politically correct English language newspaper in BKK. FT is just another level.

Whether building or closing Saphan Thaksin was Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C, I still maintain that it's another bone-headed move. Interconnectivity of Bangkok's mass transit systems is the worst I've ever seen in a major city, and not having this station is only going to make it worse.

In any event, assuming this goes forward, what is the schedule for construction of the skywalk and for dismantling of the station?

Whether building or closing Saphan Thaksin was Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C, I still maintain that it's another bone-headed move. Interconnectivity of Bangkok's mass transit systems is the worst I've ever seen in a major city, and not having this station is only going to make it worse.

^ Spot on.

Those who say it should be closed to save everyone else 2 minutes in travelling time are completely missing the point.

Clearly Saphan Taksin is an important hub for:
- transferring to/from the Chao Phraya Express
- transferring to/from the cross-river ferry
- using hotel ferry services
- staying at the many nearby hotels
- shopping in or transferring to/from buses on Charoen Krung Road.

All of these users would be disadvantaged by closure of the station. Successful public transport is all about getting people where they want to go, not about where planners want to take them. (Makkasan, anyone?)

The concerning thing is how many people might stop using the Skytrain because of the additional hassle. The last thing Bangkok needs is a transfer of passengers away from the Skytrain and back on to the roads.

Those who say it should be closed to save everyone else 2 minutes in travelling time are completely missing the point.

The concerning thing is how many people might stop using the Skytrain because of the additional hassle. The last thing Bangkok needs is a transfer of passengers away from the Skytrain and back on to the roads.
I totally disagree with your post.

It's not about saving everyone 2 minutes of time. It's a bottleneck. It's slows the entire line down. You cant just add more trains to solve the problem because there's a limit on how many can pass the Taksin station. It's a design flaw, temporary station, whatever. It needs to be fixed and this is the only solution since nobody is willing to give up their land and structures around the station.

Ridership counts will not go down.


I do agree with this:
Whether building or closing Saphan Thaksin was Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C, I still maintain that it's another bone-headed move. Interconnectivity of Bangkok's mass transit systems is the worst I've ever seen in a major city, and not having this station is only going to make it worse.

It's not about saving everyone 2 minutes of time. It's a bottleneck. It's slows the entire line down.

You've just contradicted yourself a handful of words. Yep it slows everyone down by a couple of minutes.

It's a design flaw, temporary station, whatever. It needs to be fixed and this is the only solution since nobody is willing to give up their land and structures around the station.

So the answer is to close one of the busiest stations on the system down? What utter twaddle. As others have said, there are several effective ways of increasing capacity - better signalling, longer trains, for example - which will not disadvantage the users of this station.

Ridership counts will not go down.

Hilarious.:D

Hilarious.:D

Perma ban bet?

In any event, assuming this goes forward, what is the schedule for construction of the skywalk and for dismantling of the station?

Hard to say at this point. Perhaps it will be timed to the opening of the Silom Line extension from Wong Wian Yai to Bang Wa, now optimistically targeted for December 2013?



Those who say it should be closed to save everyone else 2 minutes in travelling time are completely missing the point.

Clearly Saphan Taksin is an important hub for:
- transferring to/from the Chao Phraya Express
- transferring to/from the cross-river ferry
- using hotel ferry services
- staying at the many nearby hotels
- shopping in or transferring to/from buses on Charoen Krung Road.

All of these users would be disadvantaged by closure of the station. Successful public transport is all about getting people where they want to go, not about where planners want to take them. (Makkasan, anyone?)

The concerning thing is how many people might stop using the Skytrain because of the additional hassle. The last thing Bangkok needs is a transfer of passengers away from the Skytrain and back on to the roads.

Far more people, think hundreds of thousands, are negatively impacted with the current situation, and are already finding alternatives due to the delays associated with the current situation.

It is far more likely that ridership will actually increase as a result of this change. Although ridership figures increase generally over time.

The BTS is already running four-car trains on the Silom line and the last thing Saphan Thaksin station needs is a five-car train. :rolleyes: A new signalling system, while the dream of every railroad enthusiast perhaps, does not help in getting passengers into and out of trains more quickly. ;)

Hard to say at this point. Perhaps it will be timed to the opening of the Silom Line extension from Wong Wian Yai to Bang Wa, now optimistically targeted for December 2013?
It is important to not that the 5.3km, 4 station Bang Wa ext is opening in to stages. S9 & S10 on 5 Dec 2012. S11 & S12 planned for 12 August 2012. I'd expect the former deadline to slide by a few months.

The original contract signed in Dec 2010 stipulated that the whole extension should open by 5 Dec 2012. However, last years floods in Bangkok whilst not directly inundating the sites of station construction (the viaduct was completed 3 years ago) limited material and staff access to the sites effectively for a couple of months. (There was also a previous dispute with the Highways dept that delayed works for 2-3 months at one location).

BMA has stated that the ST station needs to be demolished before the first phase of the extension opens. (There is a reason why which I'll detail in the next post) No way is that going to happen. The pedestrian link itself will take a good 18 months to build if ALL goes well as there are a number of design challenges which other posters have canvassed.

It is far more likely that ridership will actually increase as a result of this change. Although ridership figures increase generally over time.

The BTS is already running four-car trains on the Silom line and the last thing Saphan Thaksin station needs is a five-car train. :rolleyes: A new signalling system, while the dream of every railroad enthusiast perhaps, does not help in getting passengers into and out of trains more quickly. ;)
A few things;
1) A new signalling system was already installed on the Silom line when the WWY ext opened. It is an 'open system' Bombardier signalling system rather than the 'closed system' previous Siemens one. This allowed the BTSC to purchase other non-Siemens rolling stock. However, when the new 4 car CNR trains were introduced onto the Silom line in late 2010 there were significant glitches in the system leading to major delays and at times shutdowns of the line. It took a good 6 months to resolve these problems.
(When the Bearing ext was being tested last year signalling issues there also affected the Silom line and on at least 3 occasions shut down the whole system).
You can read some reports at http://2bangkok.com/forum/showthread.php?1524-Taksin-Ext-Opened!/page18

2) Prior to the WWY ext opening on 15 May 99, the Silom line had a a peak hour headway of 2.40. After the ext opened, due to the single track bottleneck at ST and glitches with the new signalling, scheduling was all over the place - there was no consistency. I can remember waiting 15 mins one afternoon at S2 and the platform was so crowded that people were at risk of falling off onto the track. This went on for a few more months until 1 August 99 when the BTSC introduced a new timetable that is still in operation today.

The headway became 4.50 at peak and 6 mins at other times except after 10pm where it is 8mins. Even with the introduction of 4 car sets in late 2010 these headway times have been maintained. The primary reason is the single track operation at ST station. 6 cars trains could bring it down a little but would not lead to a substantial decrease in headway.

3) One thing that people may not be aware of - as I wasn't until fairly recently - is that the staged opening of the Bang Wa ext (detailed in previous post) will mean a shuttle service will need to operate between S8 and S10. This is due to the fact that there will be no turnout installed at S10 - it wasn't in the original plan as the ext wasn't going to open in 2 stages.

It will operate similar to the image below. This will be a major problem from an operational and scheduling point of view. I turnout should be installed (and it gives operational flexibility for the future) but apparently it cannot be. So yet another potential delay in scheduling.

4) The BTSC has ordered 5 extra 4 car sets of rolling stock for the extension. Yet they will not be delivered until the end of 2013. The line is already bursting at the seams just using the current 12 4 car sets. Add in extra stations and extra pax.....
(It should be noted that the extra 35 single cars (Siemens) for the Sukhumvit line to make all 3 car sets 4 car sets will start to be delivered from August)

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1808/bts.gif
You can read a little more at http://2bangkok.com/forum/showthread.php?3979-WWY-to-Bang-Wah-ext/page4

Thank you Yappo

Yet another completely bone-headed move by Bangkok transportation planners. The profound lack of coordination and foresight is unbelieveable.
.

Quite believable. That same issue (lack of foresight) will eventually rear its ugly head in my neck of the woods (an Anglo country to boot so it isn't exclusively Thai).

Thanks, Yappo, for that interesting insight. The Bang Wa phased extension looks like another fiasco in the making.

Your headway times give the lie to the major disruptions users are apparently suffering because of the single track at Saphan Taksin.

Peak headways of 4.50 now and 2.40 previously, means that average wait for trains has gone up from 1:20 to 2:25 - so just over a minute.

Far more people, think hundreds of thousands, are negatively impacted with the current situation, and are already finding alternatives due to the delays associated with the current situation.

What is your source for this figure?

The BTS is already running four-car trains on the Silom line and the last thing Saphan Thaksin station needs is a five-car train. :rolleyes: A new signalling system, while the dream of every railroad enthusiast perhaps, does not help in getting passengers into and out of trains more quickly. ;)

Don't look at me, I'm just a user. @:-)

Hello,

Does anyone know whether the station is still open or not? We are planning to go there in May 2013.

Thanks.

You can catch up here: http://2bangkok.com/forum/showthread.php?120-Skytrain-general-updates-Taksin-station-issue&p=34622#post34622

the demolition of the platform section and modification of Saphan Taksin station as a part of the via duct from Surasak station to Taksin Pier will be started ONLY after the via duct from Surasak station has been fully connect with Saphan Taksin station though.

So I am 100% certain you will not be impacted next month (May, 2013).

Thanks. Appreciate it.

BMA to demolish Saphan Taksin Station, put in moving walkways
May 7, 2013 6:01 pm

To relieve the problematic bottleneck on the Skytrain's Silom Line, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to demolish Saphan Taksin Station and install additional tracks.

BMA Deputy Governor Amorn Kijchawengkul said Tuesday that moving walkways would be installed from Surasak Station to the river, and the area underneath Taksin station would be turned into a public park and multi-purpose area.

Executives of the BMA and Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) have agreed they would install the additional track on the area used by the Saphan Taksin station platforms. They would also build a 700-metre skywalk with moving walkways to connect Surasak Station to the Chao Phraya River piers.

The Nation





http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/632535-suvarnabhumi-airport-expansion/

Executives of the BMA and Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) have agreed they would install the additional track on the area used by the Saphan Taksin station platforms. They would also build a 700-metre skywalk with moving walkways to connect Surasak Station to the Chao Phraya River piers.


It's almost a year since your first post on the subject and all we have is "would install" and "would also build".

What's the timeline, 2021?

It's almost a year since your first post on the subject and all we have is "would install" and "would also build".

What's the timeline, 2021?

For the general Thai time frame.;)
2 years for planing
2 years for project studying
1-2 years for preparing and issuing the TOR
1-2 years for bidding
and 2-3 years for construction

From a recent post on 2bangkok:

"... construction will be started in October 2013 and opened in September 2014."

"During the construction of the new skywalk, Saphan taksin station is still opened to minimize the impact to the passengers who have to use Saphan Taksin station at about 16000 passengers a day. After opening the skywalk, Saphan taksin will be closed and demolished an construct double tracking which will take 8 months to be done as a measure to eliminate the bottleneck for Silom Line ... no need for 20 minute stop for traffic controls. "



So they will have to build the skywalk before demolishing Saphan Thaksin station.

The Bang Wah extension to the Slilom Line is currently scheduled to open in December, 2013.