Bangkok’s Sky Train

A solution to their traffic problem

Traffic in Bangkok

• In 1999, Bangkok opened its Skytrain Transit System which runs east to west and north to south through the city.

• The system is spotlessly clean, fast, efficient, and relatively cheap. Previously a trip between two busy commercial centers of Silom and Suriwongse would have taken at least an hour by taxi. 

Route Map

• This system allows people to make their way across town in five to 10 minutes in air-conditioning for less than a 70p as opposed to being stuck in Bangkok's downtown traffic in a taxi for 30-45 minutes at a cost of about £3.

• Stations have a range of kiosk shops with products ranging from coffee to mobile phones.

• Computerised ticketing save busy travelers time – if they have the right change! There are still attendants there.

• Views from the train offer an interesting contrast from that of the street level; from the train you can actually get the impression that Bangkok is a vertical city not far detached from the media projections of New York

• The Skytrain does have its problems. Locals complain that it doesn't serve the population at large because it doesn't go far enough into the suburbs.

• The system is not perfect and the long

flights of steps up to the stations has been cited as the main reason why elderly and disabled would-be patrons are still taking the bus. However the situation has recently improved as escalators have been installed.

• However overall, it has produced a great reduction in traffic and pollution since the early 1990s.