dsquared37

Bully for you. One less frightened individual in front of me on the taxi queue.

Grace B

Was at BKK last Sunday. A distinct lack of trains was in evidence.

Will the service ever commence, and will it be worth using anyway?

Kalboz

New Phetchaburi booms with airport Link Makkasan land price hikes 50% in only three years http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home...-30115739.html

lomatopo

On my way to the airport 25 Oct I did see Airport Express trains (4-car: 3 cars for pax, 1 for baggage, while the City Line trains are 3 cars) operating at speed in both directions on the line. Presumably still testing operation.

Not sure on the latest timetable but I think some sort of operation for the public on the Airport Express line might commence on/about 5 Dec 2009?

jpatokal

They're already running semi-open public test runs weekly on Wednesdays (IIRC?), but these need advance booking and a Thai speaker to book it for you (check with SRT if interested).

5 Dec was one of the previously floated deadlines, but at this time it seems highly unlikely to start real operation before April 2010.

lomatopo

Yes, you are correct. It seems like April ~ June 2010, best case, is the target many are talking about now. Day-to-day operations, management and staffing seem to be the main issues as the SRT is trying to keep the current union away from this line. The interim stations still need a lot of work so not sure when the City Line will start? I think with four 4-car sets they can run Express service every 30 minutes.

ScottieFlyer

I think the skytrain was quite an impressive engineering feat and they seemed to have it up in no time at all. In comparison to that it seems very odd that they are taking so long to fit out the stations and implement staff, trains etc. Had they been doing those things in parallel with construction of the track it could have been operating months ago. Thai engineering seems to have the capability for these big projects so I agree it is managment issues that are likely the problem.

jpatokal

Skytrain is (more or less) privately owned and operated, the Airport Link is a part of the hidebound state-owned bureaucracy of SRT. And the Skytrain also had huge problems: the first attempt at it, the Hopewell system, was cancelled after they started construction and those rusting pillars still litter the roadsides near Don Muang. After it finally did open, all the political will evaporated and it took them ten years to build the first 2-km extension, with brilliant screwups like completing the entire viaduct 5 years before they started laying rails and tendering for the signaling system.

iwc

Found the following press release dated November 15. Appears to state that service will be running daily on a complimentary basis starting December 5 for one week. Any input is appreciated.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Link to start week-long official test run Dec 5
BANGKOK, Nov 15 (TNA) — The long-delayed Airport Rail Link project, providing direct rail service to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport, will officially start its test run December 5 as scheduled earlier, coinciding with the birthday celebrations of His Majesty the King, State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor Yuthana Tupcharoen said Sunday.

During the test run, free service will be provided to the public from 9 am to 12 noon and 1 pm to 4 pm daily all week and train drivers will be technical staff of Siemens, manufacturer and installer of the rail system, as SRT has not yet received test run operation training from Siemens, said Mr. Yuthana.

The SRT board met Friday, chaired by Ministry of Transport deputy permanent secretary Thawalrat Onsira, agreeing in principle to hire Deutsche Bahn International (DBI) of Germany to administer the rail service between Suvarnabhumi International Airport and terminal stations in Bangkok.
DBI has been asked to adjust its management system to match SRT demands.

Changing an earlier agreement, SRT has been directed to renegotiate the DBI contract to maintain cleanliness at stations, the maintenance centre and the overall rail route, as the work could be done by SRT, and also calling for lower fees on the part of DBI.

A subsidiary firm to be initially called Airport Link Co., Ltd. will be established with registered capital of Bt500 million.

The 28-km rail link connects Suvarnabhumi International Airport in adjacent Samut Prakan province and the City Air Terminal in Bangkok’s Makkasan area.

Transport for airport express riders and local commuters will run on the same track with the same equipment, but with a staggered schedule. Premium-fare express services will run on the hour between Suvarnabhumi Airport and City Air Terminal, while the City Line service will stop at six local stations along the route. (TNA) Thai News Agency

flyin´ruddl

Thanks for posting iwc, provides some new info to me!

F.R.

A_Lee

I'm arriving at BKK on Dec. 5 and would love to try out this service. Unfortunately, the word "complimentary" appearing means half of the Thais in Bangkok will have the same idea and I'm probably dreaming if I think I'll be able to ride the train on the first day, a weekend at that.

seanthepilot

I guess with Dec 5th come and gone, it will be Aug 12 before we're running?

lomatopo

When the PM rode the line on Sat 5 Dec he said regular service would start "...before April..." (assume he meant 2010). There's honestly no way to know when regularly scheduled service will start. June - December 2010 seems possible, for the Express. Also if service is hourly I certainly won't wait around for more than 15 minutes. Service every half hour means an average wait time of 15 min and total avg. travel time of ~ 30 min. And Makasan is still a mess; it doesn't look like they've completed the access roads to the CAT. Taxis may be able to go down Kampheng Phet 7 jogging over to Petchaburi (Tai Mai) then onto Sukh Soi 3 or Wittahyu (Wireless), avoiding some traffic? And no dedicated walkway access to Petchaburi MRT station.

Once the City Line service starts (201x) it will be interesting to see what it is like on a local platform when the Express comes through at 160 kph. I have visions of small children getting sucked off the platform. And let's hope the signalling system works well as a collision would be horrible.

dobolina

It's all good; BKK has some of the best public transportation in the world (skytrains, subways, taxis/mototaxis) (tuk-tuks not so much). It is a breeze to take the inexpensive taxis to and from Suvarnabumi airport to BKK; when the skytrain is operational it will only get better. Assuming there are stops along the way from the Airport to BKK it will also make the surrounding suburbs boom for expat condominium sales.

lomatopo

So much for the PM's progonostication...



http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2010/0...es-more-delay/

Airport Link faces more delay
January 11, 2010 by Rapeepat Mantanarat

It is very unlikely that Airport Link can start commercial operations this April as earlier announced. The service now faces delays, possibly until August. State Railway of Thailand governor, Yuthana Thapchareon, talked to the Thai press after visiting the project, last week, noting there are still three main areas that have not been completed. They are: communications system between stations especially those that link the system to the police in case of security or safety related incident; installation of CCTV and gate systems at some stations. They will need to be certified by an Independent Safety and System Certification Engineer before the Airport Link can be opened for services.

After inspection, SRT did not approved the rail system and electronic and mechanic system contracted by B Grimm International. No reason for this decision was given. More importantly, SRT has missed the deadline to set up a subsidiary company to manage the Airport Link. It has also failed to hire more than 30% of a required 400 staff who will be needed to run the service. They also require training.

Accoding to the original contract, the rail link was supposed to be operational in 2008, but disagreements between the SRT and its union as well as delays in the handover of land for stations were the main culprits.