dsquared37

Clearly there's more structural problems than loose bolts.

transpac

The problem, and this is probably not the only one, appears to require a bit more than a wrench and some elbow-grease?

The issue of maintenance contracting, then subsequent sub-contracting to a potentially inexperienced firm, also has been raised.

I say just give the driver a few extra amulets, get the trains re-blessed, and they'll be good to go.



(You can use Google Translate, or maybe best not to? )

transpac

Confusing, but maybe they'll bump up to five car trains by adding 2 new carriages to the existing 3-car "City" line trains, and one new carriage to the existing 4-car "Express" trains?

While this may address increased capacity, not sure what the already over-crowded platforms will be like?



Airport Link plans to add 15 carriages

The Airport Rail Link (ARL) operator is planning to buy 15 more carriages to serve growing demand from passengers.

If approved by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board, the plan, now being studied, would add carriages to trains operating on the route linking the city with Suvarnabhumi airport.

The study is expected to be wrapped up within this year, SRT Electrified Train Co's acting managing director Wisut Chanmani said yesterday.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gene...d-15-carriages

Dr. HFH

Depends on which problem they're trying to solve. If they're trying to solve the already-over-crowded-platforms problem, it seems to me that increased frequency rather than increased train size would be the path to follow.

Yappofloyd

It is now nearly 4 years since the SRT approved 4.4 billion baht for the SRTET to purchase new rolling stock - 7 sets of 5 cars. It normally takes 2 years from an order to be delivered.....

(There are currently 9 sets - 5 Cityline & 4 Express. As most know the Express baggage cars have/are being converted for pax.)

If the SRTET orders around 15 single cars to expand from 3 to 5 cars per train then it will significantly solve the overcrowding issue during peak periods assuming the same frequency. (It would even allow for a small decrease in headway given that dwell times would be reduced not that such would be needed).

The problem is that even if Siemens prioritizes the order, none of these extra cars will be delivered before late 2018 or more likely early 2019!

Lastly, don't forget the eventual plan is for 10 car operations which from my senile memory what originally planned for around 2030 onwards. However, the SRTET has not kept pace with rolling stock purchases even when pax growth has been much greater than the original ridership projections.

dsquared37

I was on one of these yesterday. The baggage shelves were left in taking away space that could be better used for people.... there were many people and few bags were using these areas as they are near the door and anyone mid-carriage would not be able to see/get to the door in time should anyone attempt to grab and run.

The train was among the most crowded I've ever seen SARL from the airport.

Oldtiger

It seems that there were more problems yesterday (13/03/2016) evening on the ARL. Passengers got stuck on a train and services were delayed for about an hour during the evening rush hour.

Commuters were left in the dark with no lights and the no air conditioning system on the City Line train from Ratchaprarop heading to Suvarnabhumi airport at around 6.30pm.

It is reported that some passengers passed out and others tried to pry the doors open for fresh air.

All stranded passengers were evacuated to another train sent to pick them up and services returned to normal at 7.47pm.

There is no indication as to what caused the problem.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gene...ail-link-train.

transpac

Based on some reports I've seen on TV, this most recent breakdown might have been caused by a catastrophic transformer/power supply; and maybe there was some issue bringing up the back-up supply quickly?

There have been similar breakdowns, one last year was a bit worse. You can find the details in this thread; I'm pretty sure I posted about that at the time.

We're getting in to some seriously hot weather now so feel for anyone trapped in a baking carriage.

AIRPORT RAIL LINK BREAKS DOWN DURING MONDAY RUSH, PASSENGERS TRAPPED

BANGKOK — Passengers were stranded aboard the Airport Rail Link on Monday evening when the line broke down following the sound of an explosion, according to social media reports.

The airport-bound train reportedly stopped running between the Ratchaprarop and Ramkhamhaeng stations at about 6:30pm. Passengers stranded in the train said they had to break open emergency exit for air, as air conditioning in the carriages also stopped working.

“Airport Link broke down again. We can’t breathe. Some passengers broke out the emergency door for air to breathe. Very crowded here,” @ThonGThonGZa tweeted at 6:35pm with a photo.

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/c...day-rush-hour/

transpac

Bird strike?

FAT PIGEON BLAMED FOR AIRPORT RAIL LINK OUTAGE

BANGKOK — A pigeon was blamed Tuesday for a malfunction on the Airport Rail Link that left hundreds of passengers stranded in stifling heat the night before.

The evening commuter rush was underway when the pigeon, said to be quite large, flew into a motor at about 6:30pm, according to Suthep Panpeng of the State Railway of Thailand’s Electric Train Co.

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/t...l-link-outage/

dsquared37

I fully expected this to be a piece from The Onion.

seanthepilot

LOL, Anything BUT accepting responsibility....

This saving face crap is truly a face losing proposition!

SQTraveller

This guide is a bit dated as I wrote this back in 2015. However, I want to make references to it in my other reports so I wanted to put it here to make it linkable.

Having been to Bangkok so many times and made several reports of it, I’ve realised that nowhere have I described how I make my way from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport into Bangkok central itself.

When I go to Bangkok, I am usually travelling alone or with one other person,and in this case I find taking the Airport Rail Link into Bangkok is far cheaper and less hassle than taking a taxi. Of course if you are travelling with large amounts of luggage, you would be better off taking a taxi from the official taxi rank. I would also say that if you have 4 people in your group (and can fit all your luggage into the taxi) it’s probably cheaper to take the taxi.

So when is the best time to use the Bangkok Airport Rail Link? There are two answers to this

Rush hour
Raining
During both of the above scenarios the traffic builds up quickly. I usually arrive late on a Friday which means it’s rush hour and the roads are jammed solid. When it rains everyone slows down, and the taxis flood the roads. God forbid if it’s rush hour and it’s raining!

How to find the ARL?

The Airport Rail Link is at the basement of Suvarnabhumi Airport. You need to just keep going down the escalators until you can’t go any further. Then you need find your way to the centre of that level and you will find a downward slope towards the ticket office and gates.

This is also where you can change your money. There are several foreign exchange counters in this area, and although you can’t play one off the other, you can work out which one is offering the best rate and plump for that one. You probably won’t get such a concentration of foreign exchange dealers in one location anywhere else in Bangkok. Also something to bear in mind, these guys like big notes. If you are travelling with large denomination bills, you will see on the electronic boards that they offer better rates for those larger notes.

So a bit about the Airport Rail Link. It was originally scheduled to open in 2006, but due to various problems, didn’t start operating until late 2010.

You will read on some websites that there are two services, an Express or City (or commuter) line. The Express service would stop you at either Makkasan or Phaya Thai BTS stations. Unfortunately the lack of planning and associated problems, this service is no longer available – why do I tell you about this service if it’s no longer available? Well just in case it comes back of course!

The line that you currently have no choice but to take the the commuter line. This also stops at Makkasan and Phaya Thai BTS stations, but also every stop along the way. The service runs from 06.00 – 24.00

Suvarnabhumi (Airport)
Lardkrabang
Baan Tubchang
Hua Maak
Ramkhanhaeng
Makkasan
Rajaprarop
Phaya Thai

While I can’t give you the exact prices for all the stations, to get to Makkasan it costs THB 35, for Paya Thai it is THB 45 (about 60-80p in real money) for about a 30minute journey. As a point of reference, a taxi could cost around THB400 (£7) and might take longer if it’s rush hour or/and it’s raining.

You can either use the machine (which will be in English or Thai) or you can go to the counter. Very broadly, if your hotel is near an MRT station, you will need to go Makkasan, if your hotel is near a BTS station you will need Phaya Thai. My hotels are typically near BTS stations so I pay the THB45 to get to Phaya Thai.

In exchange for your THB45 you will receive a little token in the shape of a large coin — either yellow or red in colour if I remember correctly.

At the entry gate, you will need to press the coin against the reader — hold onto this coin, you will need it when you get out!!!

Once you have gone through the gates, you make your way down the escalators to the platform. Usually there are people already queuing up at the doors. This not the opportunity to show how clever you are, and try to sneak to the front. Thai people are generally non-confrontational so probably won’t say anything, but you will certainly get other visitors making comments to you such as “get to the back … buddy” or, if you’re really unlucky someone just punches you one… no no … I jest, but there is reason there is a queue, people got there before you! If you happen to have arrived just as a train has left, you will find yourself at the front of the queue. This does not mean stand right by the door. You will need to stand behind the line. If you don’t, you will soon hear a blast of a whistle when the security instruct you to retreat — bear this in mind, as it happens at all BTS stations. If you’re wondering why the whistle is blowing, it’s probably because of you!

When the train does finally arrive, don’t dash on before everyone has got off. Firstly, this is bad etiquette anywhere in the world (just because you left your home country doesn’t mean you left your manners behind) but secondly, yes you guessed it, it will lead to a blast on that famous whistle. The security guards will visually sweep the train to ensure that there was nothing left on the train, or that there is nothing suspicious (other than tourists). Once they give the all clear, you can go ahead and board.

Bear in mind that this is a commuter train so you will be sharing the carriage with many other people. Yes, when you first get on it is likely that there will be plenty of space. However, as you get to more and more stations there will be many people boarding — especially if it is rush hour and/or raining. Remember how you feel when it’s rush hour? Yeah, you get pee’d off when people take lots of space, so think about others. Keep your luggage close and don’t take up those extra spare seats for your hand bag.

transpac

The SARL seems to suffer from various issues (too popular, too many riders, mechanical, not enough trains, platforms too small, etc.) resulting in social media eruptions just about every week. I subscribe to a number of local Twitter feeds and usually get to see the BTS, MRT and SARL snafu-du-jour.

Last week on August 9 ~ 4:30 PM I saw an outbound tweet/photo indicating a two-hour wait on the SARL.

I haven't ridden the SARL in a few months, but given the heavier loads on it, and quite frankly the BTS (skytrain) at peak travel times, please plan accordingly.

restlessinRNO

transpac - Was the two hour wait on the SARL due to a mechanical breakdown affecting the entire system then? I of course agree with your assessment - too popular, too many riders, mechanical issues, not enough trains, platforms too small, ...

transpac

Was the two hour wait on the SARL due to a mechanical breakdown affecting the entire system then?

No way to tell from the tweets and photos. No news coverage that I saw. Very generally speaking the "authorities" discourage "bad" news, hence the Junta supremo encouraged Thais NOT to post about the issues at DMK and BKK last week.

My only advice, if going to the airport, is to have a back-up plan (go back down to the street and get a taxi and hope traffic isn't too bad) if you see crowds backed-up down the stairs/escalators, so you don't miss a departing flight.