dsquared37

Yes, there is at least one comprehensive map that can be purchased.

All buses have numbers in front and on the side placard with destinations however few buses have their stops in English so it certainly helps to have some knowledge ahead of time.

whackyjacky

The reason I never take buses in BKK is that apparently they travel on roads.

transpac

http://bangkokguide.co.th/product/pm-9b.jpg

50 baht.

There's also the BMTA website, http://www.bmta.co.th/?q=en/bus-lines

and http://www.transitbangkok.com/bangkok_buses.html

http://www.bmta.co.th/?q=en/content/503-0

Google Maps with Directions offers a Public Transport option, which includes SARL, BTS, MRT, BMTA, even Uber. Not sure how accurate/up to date the info. is.

It does look the nearest bus stop is north on Phaya Thai Road, on the north side of Ayutthataya Road, southbound (in bound) side of Phaya Thai Road, in front of Noble House Condo.

brumbrum

Well, I think that for this one journey I'll print some google maps out, including the one with the stop location (hope that the stops are signed) and will use the longer bts option if it went wrong. Funny boat on the way back seems to be ok. Thanks a lot for helpful replies.

seavisionburma

Not a closure as such - as mentioned earlier, the former ARL Express service has been suspended since last year (waiting on new rolling stock, plus a track reconfiguration just west of Makkasan) and will be out for some time.
Makes no huge difference, it rarely ran with more than a handful of pax each trip.

The ARL City Line (which runs on the same track, stopping all stations to Phaya Thai station where it connects with the BTS station) is running.
Headway was increased to 10 minutes in April.

45 baht from airport to Phaya Thai. Gets busy en route as it is a commuter link for Bangkok locals.

kamaaina

Would 30 minutes commute time be about right from Makkasan to airport via City Line? I've read trains come by roughly every 15 minutes.

I'd also read the Thai Airlines checkin counters at Makkasan were shut down; low passenger volume I suppose.

transpac

30 minutes +/- a few is reasonable for the City Line from Makkasan to SBIA/BKK; they have to run the train a bit more slowly for safety reasons, and dwell times at stations can sometimes stretch out as people try to wedge on. Per the schedule it shows 22 min total time between stations (Makkasan to SBIA/BKK) but do not believe that factors in dwell times.

I think the intervals are 12 minutes during peak travel times and 15 minutes, off peak.

I'd offer a link to the srtet.co.th web-site but it seems to have gone off the rails; times out for me. No reason to expect they could maintain a web-site.

OK, working for me today... http://srtet.co.th/internet/en/index.html

http://srtet.co.th/internet/en/11_ti...table_MAS1.pdf

The check-in facilities at Makkasan closed most recently in June or July of last year - I think at most only a few people even used it, so now it's a gigantic white elephant. Although they do film commercials, and TV soap operas there occasionally.

estnet

the airport checkin required use of the "express" train which went out of service a while ago. don't know if the check in then allowed use if taking the local or if they shut down when the express service stopped.

transpac

Pier to link ARL Ramkhamhaeng with Khlong Saen Saeb


http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/05/26/pier-link-arl-ramkhamhaeng-khlong-saen-saeb

seavisionburma

City check-in services at Makassan ARL station now completely closed.
They never got used (sometimes as few as 1-2 pax a day) and the luggage component required special baggage cars running in the Express Line stock - City Line would not have been able to do this

Now a huge white elephant, they film a lot of ads and Thai TV soaps in there, photo shoots and stuff.

moa999

Makassan was a disaster from the start - pain to get to from most hotels, and the express train not connecting to the BTS

As for the comment above on Google Maps - this has also been useless since Google removed the English train stations from the map - still appears for selected roads, but not for public transport

transpac

Well rail-boys will tell you that Makkasan will become the SRT's shining light of an Eastern Rail terminus at some point in the future. Unfortunately this might be 20 years, by which time the facility will be falling down.

The entire block of land from the CAT/Ratchadapisek west almost to the Expressway and Ratchaprarop, which is owned by the SRT is one of the largest blocks of undeveloped land in Bangkok. There are several plans to develop this into mixed-use, and the SRT will use the sale/rental proceeds to pay down some of their gargantuan debt.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/...ht-on-makkasan

Dr. HFH

I must say, I don't agree with you at all. I'm usually at SGS, othrewise at LM. Both have good access to the MRT, which has a stop right under the Makkasan station. There's even a covered and elevated walkway, now, connecting the two. What's the problem?

transpac

I suspect that when most say the CAT at Makkasan is a disaster they are referring to the unused, cavernous structure (which I assume you've never seen), the little-used/ now cancelled Express Line, the little-used/now cancelled "airline check-in desks", the oven-like quality of the platform area, the massive amount of traffic on Ratchadapisek, no taxis under the station.

The interchange between the SARL/Makkasan and the MRT/Petchaburi is certainly brilliant for Bangkok where covered, overhead walkways can be wedged into any space, but I wouldn't mislead people by implying it is seamless. The walkway, is quite long and involves a significant slope - I often see smaller women trying to pull their bags up 'the hill' from the MRT to the SARL and wonder if they'll actually make it, multiple escalators, some steps, security checks, another queue to buy another ticket, and even the interchange between the MRT/Sukhumvit and the BTS/Asok can be challenging during rush hour (all escalators running in a single direction).

EmailKid

You forgot the five or so fairly steep steps up and down before descending into MRT

Always assumed those were there to get over the wall to keep water out in case of floods.