Freedom, At Last

Salvation could have arrived years ago. It probably was the world’s oldest ready-to-use but unused public transport. Finally, after years of poisonous struggles of vested interests forcing Thonburi residents to face more senseless years of gridlock the suffering of thousands of commuters has finally come to an end.

The first Skytrain route to venture across Chao Phraya river has been launched on May 15th, 2009, with a trial run and is open to the public – for free for that for the first three months. The probably most congested road in Bangkok along Sathorn’s Saphan Taksin bridge becomes a thing of the past for people enjoying the heavenly train ride.

“We expect about 2,000 vehicles per hour during rush hour after the extention opens, compared to almost 15,000 vehicles currently,” said an official at the opening while Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva waved off the first train at an early 5.20 am. Because who doesn’t love a prime minister giving the people new freedom.

The new 2.2 kilometer elevated train extension route from Saphan Taksin station to Wong Wian Yai shall be only one of other electric train route extensions to cover all areas of the city of Bangkok, Abhisit told reporters. Public transportation development is necessary to help stimulate the economy, he said. Well, I love to get stimulated that way. Kudos, pretty Mark.

Being at it, how many years Skytrain commuters will have to wait until double-formations of trains relieve the mornings and the evenings? My understanding is they have the rolling stock ordered, since years … But then again all the conflicts and unsubstantiated accusations against main supplier Siemens with France’s Alstom and Canada’s Bombardier wanting a piece of the cake while lobbying goes on …

While we keep our fingers crossed for the soon-to-be next 8.9 kilometer extension from On Nut to Samrong at Sukhumvit 119, congratulations Thonburians. Finally you as well can plan life and mobility by the minute.




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May 15, 2009 | Filed Under TTT - Top Thai Things, Travel & Tourism, Truly Bangkok 

Comments

4 Responses to “Freedom, At Last”

  1. Jaded on May 15th, 2009 2:53 pm

    The trains have been running for a few days. It’s bedlam on the platform of Saphan Taksin though. Last night there were two guys with walkie talkies and bull horns trying to control the situation. Because only one train at a time can stop at the station the trains coming from the other direction have to wait a few hundred meters down the track. Presumably they have fail safe signaling and the guys with the walkie talkies were just a secondary safety precaution. But the arrangement seems awkward and there seems to be potential for a head on collision between trains on or near the platform. I am probably overly concerned with safety standards in Thailand. Any properly planned service will have made a collision impossible but the way things were being run last night it looked to me like an accident is waiting to happen.

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  2. Mythbuster on May 15th, 2009 6:56 pm

    Thailand, the hub of incompetence.

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  3. tom hoy on May 15th, 2009 10:47 pm

    I’ve often wondered about this when I have been at Saphan Thaksin station and thought did they not plan for the possibility of an extensions of the system. It would have been very easy to build a two-sided platform at the time it was built. I thought they must have had an alternative plan. Apparently not. I’ve never been out to On Nut where another extension is planned. Did they do the same thing there? It really is amazing.

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  4. bosunj on May 18th, 2009 2:25 am

    Isn’t it great that the Skytrain extension is now open and tens of thousands more riders can now use the Skytrain! Congratulations!

    Thailand and Bangkok are great places when compared to America where all but a two cities have no useful train systems and only a few more have trains that are useless! The Skytrain is a successful dependable system! Congratulations Thailand for your success, foresight and the ability to get your systems completed! Good luck with your further expansions!

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