MRT (Bangkok)
Metropolitan Rapid Transit | |
---|---|
Blue Line | |
Overview | |
Native name | รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร |
Owner | Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand |
Locale | Bangkok Metropolitan Region |
Transit type | Rapid transit Monorail |
Number of lines | 4 in operation 2 under construction |
Number of stations | 107 |
Daily ridership | 470,000 (Oct 2019) |
Annual ridership | 92.4 million (in 2014)[1] |
Operation | |
Began operation | 3 July 2004 |
Operator(s) | MRT MRT Bangkok Expressway and Metro standard gauge |
Electrification | 750 V DC third rail |
Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
The Metropolitan Rapid Transit or MRT is a mass
The second MRT line
Both the Blue Line and Purple Line are operated by the
The
Other MRT lines are planned for the future MRT system with the
History
The MRT was constructed under a concession framework. For the first MRT line, officially known as Chaloem Ratchamongkhon or informally as the "Blue Line", civil infrastructure was provided by the government sector, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), and handed over to their concessionaire under a 25-year concession agreement.
The construction of the first Bangkok Metro line, officially known as Chaloem Ratchamongkhon (Thai สายเฉลิมรัชมงคล) – "Celebration of Royal Auspice" – or informally as the "Blue Line", began on 19 November 1996. The project suffered multiple delays not only because of the 1997 economic crisis, but also due to challenging civil engineering works of constructing massive underground structures deep in the water-logged soil upon which the city is built.
The
In August 2016, the
Operation
Bangkok, a city situated on a low-lying plain, is susceptible to flooding. Consequently, the entrances to MRT stations in the city are constructed approximately one meter above ground level and are equipped with integrated floodgates to prevent water from entering the system. All stations are accessible, featuring elevators and ramps to accommodate all passengers. Additionally, stations typically have multiple exits, usually four, with some offering interchanges to other transit systems like the BTS Skytrain, Airport Rail Link, and commuter rail services. The passageways connecting these exits are spacious, with some even evolving into shopping areas. Within the stations, maps are displayed to guide passengers, showing local area details and exit locations.
As a safety measure, platform screen doors have been installed at stations. Uniformed security personnel and security cameras are stationed at all platforms to ensure passenger safety. The metro system operates 19 three-car metro trains, specifically of the Siemens Modular Metro type, consisting of two motor cars and a central trailer car.[7]
In an effort to utilize renewable energy, the Bangkok Expressway and Metro company has entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement with CK Power. This agreement aims to supply the mass transit system with 452 million kWh of electricity, primarily sourced from solar energy.[8]
Ticketing
The ticketing system for the Blue and Purple Lines uses RFID contactless technology with round tokens issued for single trips and a contactless stored value card, the MRT Plus card, for frequent travellers. It is planned that a joint ticketing system will be set up[9] so that passengers can use a single ticket on the MRT as well as on the Skytrain. Multi-storey park & ride facilities are provided at Lat Phrao and Thailand Cultural Centre. Motorists who park their cars within station parking facilities are issued with additional contactless smartcards and they need to have them electronically stamped at their destination station.
Smart cards are available in two types:
- A rechargeable card for distance-based fares:
- for adults, at the same rate as single fares
- for students, not over 23 years old, at 10% discount
- for children/elderly, not over 14 old and height between 91 and 120 cm (36 and 47 in), or not less than 60 old, each with 50% discount.
Children under 15 or whose height does not exceed 90 cm may ride for free. Reduced fares for older children and half price fares for the elderly also apply when buying a token at the booth.
From January 2022, MRT started accepting a new payment fare type for Blue Line and Purple Line via EMV Contactless (Europay Mastercard and Visa).[10]
The Yellow and Pink lines accept cash, EMV Contactless, and the Rabbit Card.
Current lines
The first line, the
Line | Stations | Length [km] | Length [mi] | Terminus | Daily ridership | Began operation | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial part | Last extension | ||||||
MRT Blue Line |
38 | 48.0 | 29.8[11][12] | Lak Song ↔ Tha Phra (via Bang Sue) | 400,000[13] | 2004 | 2020 |
MRT Purple Line |
16 | 23.0 | 14.3 | Khlong Bang Phai ↔ Tao Poon | 70,000[13] | 2016 | - |
MRT Yellow Line | 23 | 30.4 | 18.9 | Samrong
|
92,038 | 2023 | - |
MRT Pink Line | 30 | 34.5 | 21.4 | Min Buri
|
- | 2023 | - |
Total | 107 | 135.9 | 84.4 |
- The self-interchange station is counted as a single station (Tha Phra Station).
MRT Blue Line
The MRT Blue Line
The 48-kilometer-long MRT Blue line will serve as a circle line for Bangkok's metro rail system, providing connections to all other major lines, including the SRT Red Lines and the Airport Rail Link. However the complete track does not form a circle, but rather a figure 6. So to ride the complete circle one has either to start at Tha Phra or change trains there.
MRT Purple Line
The MRT Purple line is divided into two sections, the first 23 kilometer stage from Khlong Bang Phai - Tao Poon which opened on 6 August 2016, and a planned 19.8 kilometer southern extension from Tao Poon - Phra Pradaeng.
The Purple line currently serves travel demand between the northwestern suburbs of
MRT Yellow Line
The 30.4 km long Yellow line has 23 stations. It was originally proposed to be an underground and elevated rapid transit line, but that plan has changed to be built as an elevated monorail line.
In December 2011, the MRTA was instructed by the MOT to divide the Yellow Line into two Phases for tender and construction purposes and to control land appropriation costs.[14] In June 2012, the MRTA contracted consultants to undertake detailed designs of the Yellow Line. In February 2013, OTP stated that the tender for the Yellow line should be ready by late 2013 for tender in early 2014.[15] However, similar to the Pink Line, delays in finalising the technical requirements of the tender in relation to the selection of monorail rolling stock which determines the type of track to be constructed resulted in a significant delay. The subsequent political turmoil of 2014 caused further delay. Thereafter, the coup of May 2014 resulted in a new military administration and the tender being deferred for 2014.
The MRTA tender was subsequently not released until mid-2016. In early December 2016, BSR Joint Venture (comprising
MRT Pink Line
The 35.5 km long MRT Pink line has 30 stations and is a
The line also transfers with the
The Pink line was due to be tendered in the 3rd quarter of 2013 with construction due to commence in early 2014.[18] However, delays in preparation of the tender in relation to the selection of monorail rolling stock and subsequent political protests resulting in a snap national election in early February 2014, further delayed the Pink Line tender.[19] A subsequent coup in May 2014 resulted in a new military administration and the tender being deferred for 2014. The MRTA tender was subsequently not released until mid-2016.
In early December 2016, BSR Joint Venture (comprising BTS Group Holdings which owns 75%, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction - STEC, and Ratchaburi Electricity Generation Holding - RATCH), won the bid. The BSR also won the bid for the Yellow Line project.[16] On 16 June 2017, the Pink Line project contracts were signed with the BSR consortium by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand with a scheduled operational date of 2022.[20] Construction of the MRT Pink Line began in late 2017. The line opened for trial operation in November 2023 and is due to be fully operational by December 2023.
The BSR has proposed a 2.8 km spur monorail route to link to Impact, Muang Thong Thani from Si Rat station which is under construction government.[21]
Expansion plans
Line | Proposed opening | Terminal | Length [km] | Length [mile] | Stations | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
extension (Rapid transit) |
Unknown | Lak Song | Phutthamonthon Sai 4 | 8 | 5.0 | 5 | Approved |
extension (Rapid transit) |
2026 | Tao Poon | Khru Nai | 23.6 | 14.7 | 17 | Under construction |
(Rapid transit) | 2024 (Eastern section)[22] | Thailand Cultural Centre | Yaek Rom Klao | 22.5 | 14.0 | 17 | Under construction |
2025 (Western extension) | Bang Khun Non | Thailand Cultural Centre | 13.4 | 8.3 | 13 | Approved. Retender in Q2 2021 | |
(Monorail) | 2028 | Nonthaburi Civic Center | Lam Sali | 22 | 14 | 20 | Approved. Construction start planned for 2025 |
The MRT Blue line forms a
It is eventually planned that the combined route distance of all MRT lines covering major areas of Bangkok will total 171 km. This comprises 94 km for the three rapid transit lines and 77 km for the three monorail lines.
MRT Blue Line extension
- Bang Sue – Bang Phlat – Tha Phra (opened December 2019). It starts from Bang Sue Station, passing along Pracharat Sai 2 Road. It crosses Chao Phraya River and turns left along Charansanitwong Road until it reaches Tha Phra at Phetkasem and Charansanitwong intersection. The length is 13.1 km with 7 elevated stations.
- Hua Lamphong – Tha Phra – Lak Song (opened 29 September 2019). From Hua Lamphong Station it goes along Charoen Krung Road, passes Wat Mangkon Station, Sam Yot Station, and then turns left at Wat Pho before crossing under the Chao Phraya River at Pak Khlong Talat. Passing through Itsaraphap, it finally enters Phetkasem Road and ends at Lak Song. After 4 underground stations, starting from Tha Phra the line becomes elevated for 6 stations. The length is 13.9 km. with 8.9 km elevated station and 4.8 km underground stations.
- Lak Song to Phutthamonthon Sai 4 - 7.8 km, 4 station elevated extension (approved by Cabinet and tender delayed).
MRT Purple Line extension
The planned southern extension from Tao Pun - Rat Burana will run south through Bangkok's old quarter from
The line turns east at Bang Lamphu and goes along the city moat to the south, with transfers possible to the
The line crosses the Chao Phraya River near the
The Thai Cabinet was expected to approve the Purple Line Southern extension in mid 2017 with a tender due by the 2nd half of 2017.[23] On 25 July 2017, the Cabinet approved the 101 billion baht budget and tender for the extension[24] but the tender was delayed until 2018 due to land acquisition issues.[25] There was a further delay to an early 2019 date as the tender was changed to a PPP tender.[26] However, a subsequent delay in finalising the PPP process resulted in a new tender date of April 2020[27] but this has been further delayed with an expected tender by the end of 2020.[5]
Construction contracts were finally signed in March 2022 for a planned 2027 opening date.
MRT Orange Line
The Orange Line will start from Yaek Rom Klao station in Min Buri district as an elevated structure on Ramkhamhaeng Road (former Suka Phiban III Road), interchanging with the
This Line is divided into 2 sections
- Eastern section from Thailand Cultural Centre - Yaek Rom Klao (22.5 km).
- Western section Bang Khun Non - Thailand Cultural Centre (13.4 km)
The phase 1 Eastern section began construction in June 2017 with a planned 2024 opening.[22] The Phase 2 Western section extension from Thailand Cultural Centre to Bang Khun Non was released for tender on 3 July 2020 as a Public-Private Partnership project.[28]
When fully completed, the line will be 35.9-km long, mostly underground, with 29 stations (7 elevated stations for 8.9 km and other 22 underground stations for 27 km).
MRT Brown Line
The 22.1 km long Brown line is under study by the OTP. It is proposed to run from Khae Rai,
The line was originally proposed as the Gold Line by the Pheu Thai party for the Bangkok Governors election held in March 2013. This was in response to objections by Kasetsart University to long proposed Expressway extensions in the area. The line would essentially have replaced the need to build an elevated Expressway.[29] However, the Pheu Thai candidate did not win the Bangkok Governor election and the Gold Line was dropped with the Deputy Minister of Transport stating that land appropriation costs were too high.[30] Subsequently, OTP has reworked the Gold Line proposal into a new Brown Line following much the same route. As of June 2013, the route was under preliminary study by OTP.[31] Public hearings on the Brown line were held in 2017. The MOT announced that a 14-month feasibility study into the line would be completed in 2018.[32] By August 2018, OTP had completed the feasibility study and conducted public hearings. Although, there was much public support for building the MRT Brown line, public opposition to the N2 expressway remained high. OTP intends to submit the project for Cabinet approval by the end of October 2018.[33] In early June 2019, the MRTA Board approved the investment plan for the Brown Line and integrated design with the N2 Expressway conducted by EXAT.[6] The project is expected to be tendered in 2024.
This line should not be confused with the original 2004 13 km MRT Brown Line proposal from
Accidents and incidents
On 17 January 2005, just after 09:15, an empty train returning to the depot collided with a peak-hour train filled with passengers at the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station. 140 people were hurt, most of whom sustained only minor injuries and the entire Metro network was shut down for two weeks.
After initial investigations, it was found that the empty train had run into problems shortly before the accident, grinding to a halt on a curve leading to the depot. The driver applied the train brake and was waiting to be towed to the maintenance centre close to the Thailand Cultural Centre station.
A rescue train was attempting to connect to the stalled train when the driver was told to release the brake even though coupling had not been successful. It was then that the empty train began to roll backwards at a speed of ten metres per second and into the other train, which was carrying passengers. Therefore, it was believed that the incident was caused by negligence due to insufficient training of operation staff.[34] This accident caused damage to both trainsets, with heavily damaged areas limited to the two cars that collided. From the extent of the damage, investigators estimated the collision speed to be around 60 km/h. However, one train, which was rebuilt from the repair of the minor-damaged cars, was already fitted for operation at the end of 2006 and the remaining one was still under heavy repair until mid of 2007; it was released into service in October 2007. The cost resulting from the accident might be a much higher figure than BMCL quoted, and it was expected to be at least 400 million baht, which was totally insured by a local insurance company.
The Metro resumed full operation on 1 February 2005, and passenger numbers soon rose back to pre-crash levels, partly due to a temporary promotional fare scheme which allowed passengers to travel any distance on the MRT for only ten baht (~US$0.33).
Ridership
The first few years of operations saw less than forecast ridership, but pax numbers grew gradually over time. After the opening of the
Ridership statistics
Year | Total ridership | Average daily ridership |
---|---|---|
2011 | 69,024,000 | 189,083 |
2012 | 80,575,000 | 220,167 |
2013 | 86,427,000 | 236,833 |
2014 | 92,403,000 | 253,417 |
2015 | 95,044,000 | 260,500 |
2016 | 100,106,000 | 273,583 |
2017 | 107,484,000 | 294,476 |
2018 | 113,355,000 | 310,561 |
2019 | 122,559,000 | 335,778 |
2020 | 94,942,000 | 259,404 |
2021 | 53,319,000 | 146,079 |
2022 | 98,577,000 | 270,073 |
Stations
No. | Station | Line | Year total passengers (2021)[39][40] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Sukhumvit | Blue | 9,627,729 |
2 | Chatuchak Park | Blue | 6,865,636 |
3 | Phra Ram 9 | Blue | 6,855,613 |
4 | Phetchaburi | Blue | 6,791,555 |
5 | Si Lom | Blue | 5,333,875 |
6 | Huai Khwang | Blue | 4,981,804 |
7 | Phahon Yothin | Blue | 4,241,269 |
8 | Thailand Cultural Centre | Blue | 4,103,960 |
9 | Lak Song | Blue | 3,989,684 |
10 | Lat Phrao | Blue | 3,779,865 |
No. | Station | Line | Year total passengers (2021)[39][40] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bang Rak Yai | Purple | 256,539 |
2 | Sam Yaek Bang Yai | Purple | 297,085 |
3 | Sai Ma | Purple | 435,570 |
4 | Bang Phlat | Blue | 485,490 |
5 | Bang Phlu | Purple | 495,914 |
Network map
See also
- Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan in Bangkok Metropolitan Region
- BTS Skytrain
- Sukhumvit line
- Silom line
- Airport Rail Link (Bangkok)
- SRT Dark Red Line
- SRT Light Red Line
- Bangkok BRT
- BMA Gold Line
- Lists of rapid transit systems
- List of rapid transit stations in Bangkok
References
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- ^ "Siemens delivers trains for Bangkok Blue Line extension". International Railway Journal. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
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- ^ a b c https://www.khaosod.co.th/economics/news_2933591. Khaosod ,30 September 2019
- ^ แจ้งเกิดรถไฟฟ้า2สาย สุกำพลเครื่องร้อน. ThanOnline (in Thai). 27 December 2011. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
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- ^ http://www.bangkokpost.com/archive/b358bn-rail-projects-expected-to-go-ahead/1256406. Bangkok Post, 26 May 2017
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- ^ https://www.bangkokpost.com/archive/purple-line-south-link-bid-faces-delay/1357647. Bangkok Post, 10 Nov 2017
- ^ https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/1541274/tor-for-slate-of-transport-projects-set-for-fast-track. Bangkok Post, 17 September 2018
- ^ Members meeting with MRTA planning division on 7 August 2019 at MTRA Headquarters
- ^ "MRT Orange Line extension tender". MRTA Website. 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Kasetsart backs light rail move". Bangkok Post. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ "City expressway plan redrawn to go north". Bangkok Post. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
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