Off the rails, then on again
Published: 14/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
A convenient, rapid way to go to Suvarnabhumi airport has finally arrived.
But despite the long wait for the Airport Rail Link to open - it was meant to be operational when Suvarnabhumi opened in 2006 - the soft launch has sent passengers into a spin over service hours and finding their way around the Makkasan terminal which is devoid of direction signs.
I was among the crowds of confused people eager to take a ride on the train during its test runs.
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9.30: I jump into a taxi at Siam Paragon and head for the Makkasan Airport Rail Link station. I pay 37 baht for ride and have to exit the cab in the middle of Rajaprarop Road because there’s no parking at the station.
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9.45: I drag my wheeled bag as I run to catch the last morning train that is set to leave at 10 am. The morning service runs from 7 to 10 am. If I miss it, I’ll have to wait for the first afternoon train at 4 pm, and the service finishes at 7 pm. My dream is shattered when a motorcycle taxi driver at the escalator tells me the station is closed.
Passengers can only take the train from Phaya Thai station, he says, suggesting I walk along the normal train track to Phaya Thai station. Too long, I think , so I hire him to drive me there on condition he gets me there in time to catch the last train.
Fortunately I arrive at Phaya Thai with five minutes to spare. As I run to catch the train my driver says: “You’re not the only one confused about the station’s opening.”
I get my ticket from the counter and race past the security guards who man the entrance.
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10.00: Boarding the train is a heavenly experience. The air-conditioned interiors help me relax and calm down from my frantic dash. I sit down on the long row of blue seats. It is quite similar to the BTS skytrain, but the Airport Rail Link carriages are more narrow. Passengers are thin on the ground, however.
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10.07: Once the train is moving I start to feel hot. I think some of the air-conditioners have been turned off to save costs as the service is free of charge.
One of two old women sitting nearby asks me why I am on the train.
“I’m testing the new train.”
“Me too,” she says. “I think it’s fast, but it won’t benefit people who aren’t staying in downtown Bangkok or near the train stations. Taking a taxi could save both time and money.”
I agree with her. The express non-stop service from Makkasan station to the airport costs 150 baht. The price may be cheap for one person travelling alone. But you still have to pay for a taxi to get to the station, or 15 to 40 baht on the skytrain. So if there are two people, sharing a cab will probably be a cheaper, more convenient option.
- 10.16: I arrive at the airport. Checking-in is very easy as the station is located in the basement of main terminal. Passengers with heavy bags can use the elevator as well.
It will take three more months to complete testing of the 28-km, 26-billion-baht system after Siemens hands it over to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).
The SRT delayed the most-recent planned soft launch in April after it found that Siemens, the contractor, still had to install 70 surveillance cameras required along the track.
There are still no radio communications through the tunnels and the power supply for the system still has to be stabilised.
Despite these problems, full services are scheduled to start today.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *