redondo-beach

[QUOTE=jpatokal;

And no, the Skytrain extension beyond On Nut is not finished, they're currently promising it'll open on 12 August 2011.[/QUOTE]

Thais have a good thing going there, its either the King or Queens birthday when something will be finished.....just change the year

RB

seanthepilot

I took the taxi to Makkasan and the city line to the airport. It was easy, seamless, and took about the same time as a taxi from the hotel. Total cost, 70THB.

I hopped into the taxi at 2:03 at the Four Points Sukhumvit Soi 15. The fare was 55THB, the drive was easy. Even though the meter said 3.1KM, the station was only about 2KM away. The last km was the winding driveway to get up to departures level.

The 2pm run (ex-Phaya Thai) was just leaving Makkasan as I entered about 2:10, and I didn't need the express (my flight was at 4), so I browsed around the, soon to open, airline checkin counters. It looks like a VERY CONVENIENT way to fly out of BKK. I will try the Makkasan checkin on my next flight. It looks like after you check in, you turn left for city line, and turn right for express.

I bought my ticket for 15THB, the new full prices start tomorrow, Jan 4th. Went up the escalator and waited for the next train.

I watched the express train leave first, noting that the express leaves before the normal train, because they use the same track. If I had been in a rush, this would have been a fast airport run.

We boarded the 2:22 train. The cityline was not full, as I have experienced earlier. An uneventful ride had us a Suvarnabhumi airport at about 2:42. About the same time as the taxi would have gotten me there.

My trip was more convenient than I could have imagined. And cut the cost of the airport trip by about 75%. The entire trip cost as much as the tollways alone. Yes, the rates will increase, but even at the new prices 55THB for taxi and 45THB for the train, it's still only a 100THB trip. The express would have me there REALLY fast, for about double that. ^^

dsquared37

I've been doing something similar for trips to/from Banglampoo/Thewet. Taxi to Phaya Thai has been around 70B and the train 15B. From the river this might be a bit more time than hopping onto the tollway at Yamorat, but much more enjoyable and a bit cheaper. Not to mention a newer view.

yosithezet

I had intended to try the cityline on the way back. But while being away I twisted my ankle and so found myself being whisked through BKK from the gate, through passport control and customs in a wheelchair. ^^ to VN which I'll write about elsewhere when I get a chance.

When the guy pushing the wheelchair asked about family waiting for me I told him I was going to the train. He sighed and said "far". Regardless from the gate to the area outside customs took about 12 minutes. Just standing in immigration would have taken 25 mins easily though I would have preferred that to a bum ankle.

Back to our story, I told him I was going to Makassan by express. He didn't understand and took me to the window for the cityline. I didn't understand what had happened. I bought a token and didn't understand my change. We went through the gate and then I realized we were in the wrong place. I didn't want to go to Phaya Thai and then try to navigate to the BTS and didn't really 'get' that I could take the cityline to Makassan. So I wanted to go back and go to the express. We hadn't even made it downstairs. The staff was totally not understanding and wouldn't accept that a mistake was made and refund my token. For me it was a logical thing and a logical call to make to refund the token before it was used. Anyway, they don't seem to understand customer service and for me whether it was THB 15 or THB 45 it wasn't such a huge amount so I relented but it left me with a bad impression of their training.

So we went to the other side and down to the express train. I tipped the guy pushing the wheelchair a bit less than I would have otherwise due to him taking me to the wrong line. I waited about 3 mins and I hobbled onto the train with my cane and rolling bag and grabbed a seat.

When we arrived at Makassan the guard insisted on helping me with my bag into the elevator. I then went over and paid for the journey. At this point I started looking for a taxi. It wasn't clear where the taxis should be waiting. Further there are hardly any taxis passing at 7PM. I was lucky that a taxi came to drop someone and I was able to make it outside to the sidewalk they stopped at before they finished taking the bags out of the back.

So beware that getting a taxi from Makassan may not be the easiest thing to do and if you need to go to Asoke the driver needs to make a u-turn where there may be opposing traffic trying to make a u-turn making it impossible for him to do so.

redondo-beach

Is there a BTS stop next to the Airport link ?

I know the MRT Metro station is close right off Asoke, but am not sure of a BTS stop.

RB

billp

@yosithezet There's a taxi stand on Level 2 at Makkasan.
@redondo-beach The CityLine terminates at Phaya Thai with a ramp into the BTS station.

dsquared37

MRT requires a walk street level from the Airport Link, BTS is an above street 50m long walkway connecting Airport Link and Phaya Thai.

Kalboz

The Airport Link rapid-transit line from central Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi will launch its air check-in service today at Makkasan City Air Terminal, five months after the rail service started last August.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011...-30145642.html

tide

I timed myself walking from the Makkasan airport link station to the Petchburi MRT station (exit 3). Platform to platform, walking at a brisk pace, was around 8.5 minutes - I did not have luggage. There were posted signs showing the way to and from either station. Pretty easy transfer.

Also, while standing at the platform at the Ram station waiting for the city link train, felt an awesome rush while the express train zoomed past. Man, those trains are fast - reminded me of the Narita NEX trains blasting through Chiba station.

BigE

Can those of you who have used the train since Jan 1 confirm that the price is now 45 Baht on the city line to Phaya Thai and 150 Baht on the express line to Makkasan?

yosithezet

I rode Phaya Thai to BKK yesterday to fetch someone from the airport. The fee was 45 THB.

nkedel

Are passenger loads still as high at the new fare?

MAN Flyer

Oh yes, the Thai obsession with waiting for specific dates to open something is beyond parody. Something could be finished, tested, ready to go and 5 years behind schedule, but they'll delay it's opening for months just to do it on someone's birthday.

Bizarre, but, T.I.T.

yosithezet

It was 10am and nobody had to stand.


Not someone, rather Someone

BigE

It was 35 Baht today from the airport to Makkasan on the city line (didn't bother to check the current cost of the express line). It's not quite as hopeless to get a seat going this direction, I think, and we (along with most of the passengers boarding) were fortunate enough to get one. The ride took almost exactly 30 minutes. The ride is fairly enjoyable because it's smooth with a decent view of the countryside. Much better than taxi, for me.

It was 15 baht from Makkasan to Sukhumvit station on the MRT, for a whopping total of 50 baht. I'd probably take a taxi from Makkasan next time (not that I saw one, but they might be lurking somewhere), because there's too much walking over uneven pavement in hot weather with luggage.