MegatopLover

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingn...to-open-aug-12

yycworldtraveler

Will anyone ride it??

You can take a cab direct to your hotel for about 300THB. I can't see myself taking the train which will still require a cab ride to or from the main station. A single traveler might save a couple of bucks...but a couple would save nothing by taking the train.

macabus

My thoughts exactly.

MegatopLover

I agree, yycworldtraveler. I was surprised to see some comments on the Bangkok Post website eager to see the train open because of complaints about something or other to do with the taxis. Maybe they're folks who get ripped off by not demanding the meter or just can't stand the hassle of dealing with the touts.

You could probably save some more baht if you took the slow train. But it's clearly nothing like the Airport Express in HK or the Narita Express, which can be big time and money savers.

Still, the train opening is a positive development for Bangkok at large, if not specifically for travelers using the airport. Bangkok's small and disjointed mass-transit network desperately needs expanding. The slow local trains, at least, will basically add a new line to the existing three. Hopefully, it will help make moving about the city easier and get a vehicle or two off the roads.

Kalboz

Maybe it's a positive development for the Makkasan area and its ...... hotels that can now jack up their rates claiming "convenient for the airport"

Does anyone have a map showing this new route and how it hooks into the rest of the SRT lines?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suvarnabhumi_Airport_Link

yosithezet

I typically stay at the Westin. This seems like it would be very convenient. Especially when arriving late afternoon with the goal of avoiding sitting in traffic between the freeway and the hotel. Am I missing something? Will this not hook up with the existing BTS in the same way that the two BTS stops connect at Siam?

EDIT: Ok, nevermind. I always figured that On Nut was the closest BTS station to the airport and assumed it would hook up to the BTS there. Potentially it could still be convenient and fast but it sure does look like a shlep i the wrong direction.

restlessinRNO

I agree, a couple would be better off taking a taxi. However on my recent trip to Bangkok, I found taxis can be a hassle, and taking the SkyTrain was convenient. This was my first trip, and a taxi from the airport to the Hilton was 600 THB going, 500 return. Perhaps I was overcharged, but I was told 500 THB was usual for this trip.

On reading Wikipedia, it seems the airport train will connect to the BTS station at Phaya Thai (N2).

Kalboz

Jatuporn Sihanatkathakul, chairman and managing director of Landmark Hotel Bangkok, is investing Bt 1.5 Bln to build a 5-star hotel next to this train stations between central Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi. The 250-room hotel will target business travellers using the airport rail link and will be open in late 2010.


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worl...p-Bt3-bn-plans

mboca28

ever try and take a taxi i rush hour this is good news

D1andonlyDman

Anyone have a guess as to how much they miss the opening date by? I'm picking 4 months late before it actually starts to run - after a face saving opening ceremony on the scheduled date.

BarryJS

This will probably be a bigger convenience for locals than overseas travellers.

glob99

From what I am hearing, the Aug 12 date opening, as in operational, is very unlikely. Remember the opening of the new airport when Mr T landed there in a 737 and that was the only landing for months.

peteropny

Well it probably will be "open" on 8/12/09 but may be operational on 12/5/09

jpatokal

So, there's actually two separate services: the "Express" line, which connects BKK to Makkasan (MRT Phetchaburi) non-stop, and the "Local" line, which runs along the same route with stops but continues onward to Skytrain Phaya Thai station. I agree that the utility of the express line is quite questionable, especially since I gather that the MRT connection viaduct is nowhere near ready, but the commuter line+Skytrain could be quite handy for hotels along the western bits of Sukhumvit/Ploenchit/Rama I (eg. Hyatt Erawan, InterCon, HI Ploenchit) as well as Phayonyothin (eg. Reflections) -- at least if you're travelling light.

travelinterpreters

My wife is going to BKK to interpret a conference a few days after the opening of the new airport rail link. Now, in the past we have always taken a taxi to get to our favorite hotel, the Marriott on the river. If she was to take this new train, she would have to do a route like this: airport link city line to Phaya Thai, transfer, Siam, transfer, go to the end of the line, ride the boat to the hotel???? Am I making this too complicated or is this the best route if she was to take it? It seems so much easier to catch cab and go straight to the hotel, like everyone has said!

Jeffrey