Bangkok’s new mass-transit system, the subway, is running smoothly.
It runs under two major city thoroughfares, Rama IV and Ratchdapisek and links up a number of business districts, hotels, shopping complexes and major event halls like the Thailand Cultural Centre and the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
The subway complements the existing skytrain and is linked to it by three interchange stations at important junctions.
As part of a 500 billion baht (US$ 12 billion) project to solve the traffic problems in Bangkok, the Royal Thai Government is planning to expand the subway and skytrain throughout the entire city, including its numerous suburban districts. Seven new routes totalling 291 kilometres will be added to the present network of 24 kilometres of skytrain and 20 kilometres of subway.
This expansion reflects the government’s plan of having a subway or skytrain station every 500 metres in the city and linking the inner city area to the suburban provinces of Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani. In effect 4.5 million people and thousands of visitors will be able to use the mass transit system to move seamlessly through the city.
To improve the overall public transportation system of the capital, the operators of the mass transit systems are in talks with the city bus service to link seven subway stations with 18 bus lines for suburban commuters who don’t wish to use their cars.