The Buses of Chinatown.

Last weekend I visited the Chinatown area to have a look at the mass transport of the area. I also used the opportunity to test out my new digital camera in a highly urbanised environment to see how it would perform. The Chinatown area is a good test for a camera as the streets are quite narrow and lined with tall buildings which tends to increase the risk of “white sky” images.

A Little Background on the Chinatown area.

The Chinatown area consists of a 1.2 sq km strip of land along the Chao Phraya River. The Chinatown area is located a short distance south east of the Grand Palace. The area was set up by King Rama 5 in the 19th Century as an area for Chinese traders and Bangkok's Chinese population. Today it has a population of around 50,000 people. This makes the Chinatown area one of the most densely populated areas in Bangkok with an average density of 41,000 people per sq km.

In the period following World War 2 the Chinatown area went though a 20 year long period of rapid growth and development. This increased the areas commercial importance until it was one of the most important business areas of Bangkok. This also attracted an increasing number of new residents. By the 1970s the Chinatown areas was fully developed and its aging pre war infrastructure and road network effectively limited its future growth. This allowed other areas of inner Bangkok to take the business crown from Chinatown.

Today Chinatown has declined somewhat due to a lack of modern office buildings and shopping centres. Coupled with the lack of a rail based mass transport system and a network of narrow and rather crowded streets. Over the last 20 years the lack of road infrastructure has greatly worsened the traffic in the Chinatown area throughout the day. Traffic speeds at times can be as low as 1 kph. Therefore the fastest way to travel in the Chinatown area is by motorbike or on foot.

One of the biggest factors for the extreme traffic congestion in the Chinatown area is due to the amount of through traffic coming across from Thonburi making its way to Rama 4 road in central Bangkok. Basically there are 4 lanes of heavy traffic being funnelled though the narrow one way streets of Chinatown. The only real way to fix this problem today is with a new underground metro line heading from Hualamphong station into the Wong Wian Yai area via Chinatown.

However despite Chinatown's recent decline in importance it still is a centre for the textile industry and spice trade. The area is also famous for its huge array of Chinese food products that are often difficult to find in other parts of Bangkok. During the Chinese New Year the area comes to life with street festivals and colourful lights.

The high density of the Chinatown area and its over 100 year history creates an interesting array of building styles and designs. Due to the density of the Chinatown area there are some small sois that are more like a corridor than a street as they are totally enclosed by buildings. Some photographic examples of this I will post at the end of this topic.

Transport wise the Chinatown area can be accessed by Metro bus numbers (1,4,7,25,40,73,73N,85,159,204,507,529,542) and the Chao Phraya Express Boat service. Most of the bus services operate every couple of minutes and its quite common for 3 of the same bus route to turn up together due to the almost constant traffic jams. The fastest way into Chinatown is via the Chao Phraya Express Boat. The closest Chao Phraya Express boat stop to Chinatown is Ratchawong pier (N5).

Within the next 10 years two new underground heavy rail metro lines are expected be built though or very close to the Chinatown area. The effect this will have on the Chinatown area will be massive as it will open up the whole area for new even higher density development. These new Metro lines will cross the Chao Phraya River into Thonburi. This should help reduce the amount of though traffic in the Chinatown area. But due to the unstable government of Thailand these metro projects are uncertain.

1. This is a shot of the Tuk Tuk stand outside the entrance of Ratchawong Pier. The green Tuk Tuk's are powered by CNG and the blue and yellow Tuk Tuk's are powered by LPG. To use these Tuk Tuk's you must ask the price before getting in. The Tuk Tuk prices are very similar to metered taxis. Fares start from 30 baht for a short distance trip.



2. This is a shot of the motorbike taxi stand outside the entrance of Ratchawong Pier. Often at these stands a fare scale is posted. The fares start from 10 baht for a short trip. It's best to ask the price before getting on.



3. This is an image of a Route 204: BMA 2 – Ratchawong Pier bus. Taken as it was waiting to depart from Ratchawong Pier bus terminus in Chinatown. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 80428. Bus type: Mitsubishi non aircon. The digger is stored there during the day for late night drainage works.



4. This is an image of a Route 204 bus. Taken as it was waiting to depart from Ratchawong Pier bus terminus in Chinatown. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 55128. Bus type: Isuzu aircon.



5. This is a shot of a Route 204 bus. Taken looking north along Rachawong road as it was approaching the terminus at Ratchawong Pier. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 80009. Bus type Mitsubishi non aircon.



6. This is a shot of a Route 204 bus. Taken looking south along Rachawong road just after it had departed from the terminus at Ratchawong Pier. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 56005. Bus type: Isuzu aircon.



7. This is a shot of a Route 1: Thanon Tok – Tha Tian bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. This road is the heart of the Chinatown area. Bus number BMTA: 4 – 40520. Bus type: Hino AK non aircon.



8. This is a shot of a Route 53: Thewet – Chinatown inner city loop bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number BMTA: 7 – 50248. Bus type: Isuzu non aircon. Note: Route 53 is one of the most indirect and confusing bus routes in Bangkok.



9. This is a shot of a Route 40: Hualampong – Southern Bus Terminal mini bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number unknown. Bus type: unknown. These mini buses are the most despised buses in Bangkok due to poor driving and uncomfortable seating.



10. This is an image of a Route 25: Paknam – Tha Chang bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number BMTA: 3 – 40255. Bus type: Hino AK non aircon. Note: Yaowarat road carries the outbound traffic flow. This bus service operates 24 hours.



11. This is an image of a Route 159: Phutha Monthon Sai 2 – Mochit 2 bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number 159 – 11. Bus type: unknown.



12. This is a shot of a Route 529: Mochit 2 – Samae Dum (Pan Thai) bus. Taken from rather close up looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number 529 – 28. Bus type: Hino RK aircon.



13. This is a shot of a Route 85: Wat Chaeng Ron – Hualamphong bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number 85 – 9. Bus type: unknown.



14. This is a shot of a Route 507: Paknam – Southern Bus Terminal bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number 507 – 29. Bus type: Merc O305 aircon.



15. This is a shot of a Route 542: Pink Lao – Wong Wian Yai – Victory Monument loop bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road. Bus number 542 – 1. Bus type: Merc O305 aircon.



16. This is a shot of a Route 40 mini bus. Taken looking west towards the former Suapa Plaza on Charoen Krung road. Bus number unknown. Bus type: Merc non aircon mini. Note: Charoen Krung road carries the inbound traffic flow. Suapa plaza is the large dirty yellow building it was very badly damaged by fire on 6th January 2009.



17. This is a shot of a Route 35: Phra Pradaeng Junction – Giant Swing bus. Taken looking west from the northern side of Charoen Krung road. Bus number: unknown. Bus type: Hino AK.



18. This is an image of a Route 85 bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Hualamphong station. Bus number: 85 – 1. Bus type: unknown.



19. This is an image of a Route 1 bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Thanon Tok. Bus number BMTA: 4 – 40481. Bus type: Hino AK non aircon. Note: This bus route was once operated as an electric tramway.



20. This is a shot of a Route 25 bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Paknam over 2 hours away. Bus number BMTA: 3 – 40268. Bus type: Hino AK non aircon.



21. This is a shot of a Route 1 mini bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Thanon Tok. Bus number unknown. Bus type: Isuzu non aircon mini.



22. This is a shot of a Route 40 bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Kheha Rom Klao. Bus number 40 – 10. Bus type: Golden Dragon aircon.



23. This is a shot of the tourist tram – bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road. This service started last year using “fake trams” that are made to look like the former Bangkok electric trams from the 1950s. It operates as a short loop from near the Pink Lao bridge and also from Hualamphong station. It operates only on weekends. It would be nice if they could restore the real trams and operate them on rails in the Chinatown area.



24. This is a shot of a Route 73: Huai Khwang – Memorial Bridge bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Huai Khwang. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 67115. Bus type: Daewoo aircon. This service operates 24 hours.



25. This is a shot of a Route 507 bus. Taken looking west along Charoen Krung road as the bus makes its way to Paknam. Bus number: 507 – 22. Bus type: Merc O305 aircon.



26. This is a shot of a Route 7 Hualamphong – Khlong Khwang bus. Taken rather close up as it was travelling south along Suapa road. Bus number BMTA: 6 – 30356. Bus type: Merc O405 non aircon. This service operates 24 hours.



27. This is a shot of a Route 7 bus. Taken looking north along Suapa road as it makes its way to Sueksa Nari Witthaya School. The aircon version of Route 7 travels almost to Mahachai Mai. Bus number: 7 – 28. Bus type: O305 aircon.



28. This is an image of a Route 204 bus. Taken as it was heading south along Suapa road. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 80441. Bus type: Mitsubishi non aircon.



29. This is an image of a Route 7 bus. Taken looking west from near the former Suapa Plaza on Charoen Krung road. Bus number BMTA: 6 – 50235. Bus type: Isuzu non aircon.



30. This is a shot of a Route 7 aircon bus. Taken looking east from oppersite the former Suapa Plaza on Charoen Krung road. Note the massive amount of black smoke coming out of this bus. Bus number: 7 – 20. Bus type: Merc O305 aircon. Most buses before 2005 used to pour out black smoke like this. This was greatly reduced when a large number of buses were converted to CNG.



31. This is a shot of a Route 40: Southern bus terminal – Rama 9 road bus. Taken looking west from near the former Suapa Plaza on Charoen Krung road. Bus number: 40 – 4. Bus type: unknown.



32. This is a shot of a Route 1 mini bus. Taken as it loads passengers outside Golden Charoen Krung Plaza on Charoen Krung road. Bus number 1 – 42. Bus type: Merc mini non aircon.



33. This is a general view of a typical weekend traffic jam on Charoen Krung road. Taken near the former Suapa Plaza. Traffic speeds here can be as low as 1 kph. This means you can often walk the same distance 4 or 5 times faster than the bus.



34. This is a shot of a Route 1 mini bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road as the bus makes its way to Tha Tian. Bus number unknown. Bus type: Merc mini non aircon. Note how the ticket guy is hanging out the door.



35. This is a shot of a Route 25 bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road as the bus makes its way to Tha Chang. Bus number BMTA: 3 – 40218. Bus type: Hino AK non aircon.



36. This is a shot of a Route 507 bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road as the bus makes its way to Southern bus terminal. Bus number: 507 – 1. Bus type: Merc O305 aircon.



37. This is a shot of a Route 40 bus. Taken as it was approaching a bus stop on Yaowarat road. Bus number 40 – 3. Bus type: Golden Dragon aircon.



38. This is an image of a Route 4: Khlong Toei – Phasi Charoen Pier bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road as the bus makes its way to Phasi Charoen Pier. Bus number BMTA: 4 – 40458. Bus type: Hino AK non aircon. This route operates 24 hours a day.



39. This is an image of a Route 73N: Pho Kaew Depot – Memorial Bridge bus. Taken looking east along Yaowarat road as the bus makes its way to Memorial Bridge. Bus number BMTA: 8 – 67160. Bus type: Daewoo aircon. This route operates 24 hours a day.



The last section of this post is rather different to most other transport posts on this site. As this section details some of the odd buildings and very odd small streets of the Chinatown area. Although this is not directly transport related it does help to explain the area more to foreign people.

A lot of the buildings in the Chinatown area are built very close to each other. This results in streets that appear more like a tunnel or a like a corridor in a building than a street. For residents and businesses in such streets it often means there homes are windowless and in darkness 24 hours a day on the lower levels of the building. This style of street has more in common with the former Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. Although the Bangkok version is far less extreme than the Hong Kong version.

1. This is a shot of a totally built over Soi off Ratchawong road. This is the northern entrance to the soi. Note the chaotic mess of electric cables entering this soi.



2. This is a shot taken from the middle of the totally enclosed soi. A number of businesses and homes are crammed in along this narrow soi. All of these buildings are windowless.



3. This is a shot of a tunnel like soi a few hundred meters east of Ratchawong road. This was taken looking back toward the main road from near the end of the soi. This soi appears to be home to mostly small businesses. There is a second level to the soi about half way down it.



4. This is the access to the second level of soi. It was too dark to photograph the second level as the power appeared to be off on the second level. The buildings around this soi would date back around 100 years.



5. This is a shot of a U shaped soi a few hundred meters east of Ratchawong road. There are a few homes along this soi as well as a few spice merchants. The dark section at the end is where the soi is totally built over for a short distance.



6. This is another angle on the U shaped soi. This was taken looking back towards the covered section where a spice merchant is located.



7. This is a shot of a soi filled with closely packed pre war shop houses all mostly still in use as residences. To access this soi you need to pass through a short tunnel cut though a building. It is located off Yaowarat road.



8. This is a shot of a very old apartment building on Charoen Krung road. Despite its poor condition it is still in use. Around the Chinatown area there are lot of older buildings such as this that are screaming out for a major renovation. Thais in general don't like to renovate old buildings but instead use them until they basically fall down. Then build a new building in its place.



I hope you enjoyed looking at my pictures. If you have any comments please leave a message for me regarding the post.

The Tha Din Daeng cross river ferry + Route 20 terminus.

Last weekend while on the way to Chinatown I made use of the Tha Din Daeng cross river ferry and the Route 20 metro bus service. This route allows a fairly quick way to get from Wong Wian Yai SRT station to Chinatown.

A little Background on Tha Din Daeng.

Tha Din Daeng dates back to the 18th century when Thonburi was founded as the capital of Thailand for a short period. For a large amount of this time the area was fairly rural and underdeveloped. Then in the 1920's the area took off as a new home for the Thai – Indian and Thai – Chinese communities. Even today there are still a number of Indian and Chinese related shops around the Tha Din Daeng area.

Tha Din Daeng is located at the end of Tha Din Daeng road in the Klong San district of Bangkok. A single bus route provides onward transport for cross river ferry passengers. This bus route provides a service mostly in a southerly direction from the pier. It is known as Route 20. It operates as a two tier service between Tha Din Daeng and Samut Chedi. Bus route 20 operates every 2 minutes at peak periods and every 5 minutes during off peak periods and weekends. The full route is operated by aircon buses. The short route that terminates at Phra Pradaeng BIG C is operated by non aircon buses.

The layout of the bus terminus at Tha Din Daeng is rather poor in that buses have to shunt back and forth to turn around in the narrow dead end street. The aircon buses stop on the right hand side of the road facing north. The non aircon buses stop on the left hand side of the road but facing south.

1. This is a shot of a Route 20 aircon bus. Taken as it was about to depart from the terminus at the end of Tha Din Daeng road. Bus number BMTA: 5 – 66139. Bus type Merc O405 aircon.



2. This is a shot of a couple of Route 20 mini bus. Taken as they where waiting for passengers coming off the cross river ferry at Tha Din Daeng. Bus numbers unknown. Bus type unknown. The driver of the closest mini bus is checking something under the bus.



3. This is an image or a Route 20 aircon bus. Taken as it was trying to turn around at Tha Din Daeng terminus. The buses normally depart and turn around with the doors wide open.



4. This is a general view looking south from Tha Din Daeng. The left two buses had just departed. The other two aircon buses are waiting for passengers.



5. This is a shot of the Cross River ferry to Chinatown. Taken from Tha Din Daeng just before it departed. These cross river ferries can get very overcrowded at times.



6. This is a shot of 3 ferry boats for the cross river service. These boats are used during peak periods when a total of 5 boats are operating. All of the boats are made from welded steel.



7. This is a general view of Ratchawong Pier on the Chinatown side of the river. Taken from Tha Din Daeng. The Chao Phraya Express boats also depart from Ratchawong Pier.



8. This is a general view of Tha Din Daeng on the Thonburi side of the river. Taken from Ratchawong Pier. During peak times both piers are used to help move the huge load of passengers.



9. This is a close up shot of the captains steering wheel on a Tha Din Daeng cross river ferry. The captains area is not isolated from the passengers at any point.



10. This is an inside shot of the Cross River ferry. Taken just after arrival at Ratchawong Pier. As people tend to spend less than 5 minutes per trip. The boats are designed to increase standing loads.



11.This is a shot video of a ride on the Tha Din Daeng cross river ferry. Note how people tend to jump out before anyone can get on the ferry. A second cross river ferry can be seen passing the boat.



I hope you enjoyed looking at my pictures. If you have any comments please leave a message for me regarding the post.

The new BTS Extension to Wong Wian Yai.

On the 15th of May 2009. The long awaited BTS extension to Wong Wian Yai opened for regular service. This BTS route extension is the first BTS extension since the BTS opened in 1999. This BTS extension is quite special in a number of different ways. It is the 1st heavy rail metro line to operate within the Thonburi area of Bangkok. It is the 1st Metro line to cross the Chao Phraya River. It is also the 1st electric railway to cross the Chao Phraya River.

However the Wong Wian Yai BTS extension has a very difficult birth. The construction of this new line started back in 2002. The line was plagued with delays and ended up as a political football between the Democrat party and the former Thai Rak Thai Party. The line was eventually completed with help from the Bangkok City Council instead of the Central Government as is the norm for these high priced Metro lines in Thailand.

So after 5 years of delays the BTS extension to Wong Wian Yai is now open for business. Now that the BTS line is now open the people of Thonburi now have a way to finally skip the massive traffic jams on the Taksin Bridge. It now takes just 11 minutes from Wong Wian Yai to Silom via the BTS for a distance of about 4 km. Compared to up to 90 minutes by direct bus at peak times. A time saving of nearly 80 minutes! This traffic jam is one of the slowest in Bangkok with average speeds of under 2 kph!

The new BTS line also opens up a possible rail connection to the SRT Mahachai line. Although the Wong Wien Yai BTS station and the Wong Wian Yai SRT stations are not right next to each other the connection is possible by taking a short motorbike taxi ride or walking for about 15 minutes between the two stations. This connection allows a total travelling time between Mahachai City and Silom of 90 minutes down from close to 3 hours by bus. More details on how to transfer between the BTS and SRT stations at Wong Wian Yai later on.

There are more benefits to this new BTS extensions than just a faster travelling time. It will allow higher density developments in the Wong Wian Yai area and will revitalise an area that has been in decline for decades due to extremely congested traffic. This will open up a lot of old areas for condo and office projects in effect extending the Sathorn area westward.

As great as the new BTS line is for the Wong Wian Yai area it does have a major issue with its operation. The former terminus at Saphan Taksin only ever had one platform this station is surrounded by large road bridges and cannot be expanded. The new BTS extension had to convert this terminus station into a through station but with only a single platform.

This means the BTS is probably the only totally new metro line in the world with a single track section in the middle of a busy double track line. This single track section is predicted to create small delays on the whole of the Silom BTS line. On my visit this prediction was holding true as the frequency west of Saphan Taksin was uneven at times and BTS trains had to wait up to 3 minutes just to get into Saphan Taksin station. This has built in a bottleneck into the BTS system from day one of the BTS extension. However a 3 minute delay is far better than an 80 minute delay as experienced by bus travellers.

The next BTS extension expected to open is the Bang Na Extension along Sukhumvit road. This extension is due to open in 2011 and is under construction right now.

Information on BMTA and the new BTS Feeder bus services to Wong Wian Yai BTS station will be outlined in detail later on.

Now for some pictures of the Wong Wian Yai BTS extension. The weather on the 1st full day of service was rather unpleasant with haze and heavy rain periods this made for very difficult photographing conditions.

These pictures were taken using a brand new Panasonic DMC-TZ11 Digital Camera. I purchased this camera in late April 2009 after 3 months of being without a Camera. This means I'm now back in action and expect more informative transport topics on the site in the future.

1. This is a shot of entrance to the BTS station at Wong Wian Yai. Taken looking toward Silom just after the rain had stopped. The style of the entrance is very similar to the main system in Bangkok.



2. This is a general view of Wong Wian Yai BTS station taken looking east along Krung Thonburi Road. This station has a large area at the western end dedicated to equipment rooms.



3. This is another general view shot of Wong Wian Yai BTS station. Taken looking along the side of the station from the western entrance footbridge.



4. This is a shot of a Bangkok City Council information display for passengers just inside the western entrance of Wong Wian Yai BTS station. It outlines the history of the BTS and future extension projects.



5. This is an image of the western ticket barriers at Wong Wian Yai station. They have provided a larger than normal amount of ticket barriers at this station. They are of the same type as on the rest of the system.



6. This is an image of the passenger concourse after the ticket gates at Wong Wian Yai. Unlike the other BTS stations the new stations do not have any retail or advertising space. However I expect this will come at a later date.



7. This is a shot of the platforms at Wong Wian Yai Station. Taken looking east along the platforms. The new BTS stations have a different roof design to the old BTS stations. The new stations are fully covered over rather than leaving a gap where the tracks are. The platforms appear to have been designed for 6 car trains.



8. This is a shot of a BTS metro train waiting to form the next service at Wong Wian Yai. Taken looking west toward the end of the new BTS extension. The new BTS extension uses the same trains as the main system.



9. This is a shot of a BTS train just after it arrived at Wong Wian Yai station. Taken looking east as it was unloading passengers. Note: both platforms are used at Wong Wian Yai for arrivals but the northern platform are for departures only.



10. This is an image of a BTS train departing from the holding area on an empty cars run back to Bangkok. It was operating via the wrong road through Wong Wian Yai station. Taken looking west from the end of the platform.



11. This is a shot of the empty cars BTS train passing another BTS as it waits for passengers at Wong Wian Yai Station.. Taken looking east along the platforms. The empty cars train appears to have a problem with it as there had been an announcement regarding a delay to service.



12. This is another angle on the empty cars train and the waiting train at Wong Wian Yai Station. Taken at the exact time the two trains were parallel to each other. Note the red marker lights on the trains. Both trains where heading in the same direction.



13. This is a shot of another BTS train just after it had arrived at Wong Wian Yai station. Taken looking west along the platform. The train make is Siemens and are all imported from Germany. It is unclear if any extra BTS trains were purchased for the extension.



14. This is a general view shot looking east toward Krung Thonburi BTS station. A couple of new condo towers are well under construction in anticipation of the new BTS line.



15. This is a shot of a BTS train approaching Wong Wian Yai Station. This train was switching tracks to arrive on the departure platform. Taken looking east towards Krung Thonburi station.



16. This is another shot of a BTS train as it was entering Wong Wian Yai station. Taken looking east towards Krung Thonburi station. All the BTS trains operating on the Wong Wian Yai had two drivers on board at the same end. This I assume is part of the training for the new line.



17. This is a shot of BTS train set 1139 waiting to depart from Wong Wian Yai station. Taken looking west along the platform. All BTS trains have 4 doors per side unlike some of the trains in Melbourne that have only 2 per side.



18. This is a short movie of a BTS train departing from Wong Wian Yai station on a trip to National Stadium station. The simple signal system can also be seen as the train departs from the station.



19. This is a short movie of a BTS train arriving at Wong Wian Yai station. The trains motion through the points east of Wong Wian Yai station can be seen. The train had an advert for air freshener products on it.



20. This is an inside shot of a BTS train while it waits to depart from Wong Wian Yai station on a service to National Stadium. This new extension is expected to bring in at least 50000 extra people per day to the whole system.



21. This is a movie of a ride on the BTS between Wong Wian Yai and Krung Thonburi stations. Note how the track seems to collect a lot of water. Also the BTS trains horn is herd on approach to Krung Thonburi station. It sounds like a car horn and is very rarely heard.



22. This is a shot of a BTS train as it rounds the curve before the Taksin bridge on its way to Saphan Taksin station. Taken from Krung Thonburi station looking east.



23. This is a shot of the platform area at Krung Thonburi station. Taken looking west along the platforms. Out of the two new BTS stations Krung Thonburi is likely to be a rather quite station for a while to come. Both new stations share the same feeder buses due to road layout.



24. This is an image of the ticket office at Krung Thonburi station. This ticket office and ticket gate layout is identical to the main system. The only difference is a green logo of the construction company above the window.



25. This is a general view of Krung Thonburi station. Taken looking south west from a footbridge. Despite is lower use it is the same size as the much busier Wong Wian Yai station.



26. This is a shot of the eastern entrance bridge at Krung Thonburi station. Again it is of a similar style to the main system.



27. This is an image of the step entrance at Krung Thonburi station. In this area the footpaths are rather narrow making it appear as the station entrance is taking up the whole footpath. It is also made worse by the overgrown fence next to the station.



28. This is a shot of the infamous Taksin Bridge ever present traffic jam. Taken from Krung Thonburi station looking towards the Taksin Bridge. This image was taken around midday on a Saturday. On a week day it can take over 40 minutes just to travel this 1 km section of road!



29. This is an image of a notice at Krung Thonburi station informing passengers that the new BTS extension will be free for the next 3 months and that 30 day pass holders need to get a single trip ticket for the free travel.



30. This is a shot of the ticket machine at Krung Thonburi station. Although its free to use the new stations it looks like they will be a Section 1 fare of 15 Baht per trip in the future.



31. This is a movie of a ride on the BTS between Krung Thonburi and Saphan Taksin station. Note the wonderful feeling of sailing past the horrible traffic on the Taksin bridge. Also when the train enters the single track section at Saphan Taksin the electricity cuts off for a second as it passes the points.



32. This is a shot of a BTS train as it was departing from Saphan Taksin station. Taken from the eastern end of the single platform station. The area directly in front is a holding siding that was used when Saphan Taksin was a terminal station.



33. This is a short movie showing a BTS train waiting for access to the single platform at Saphan Taksin station. The shaking of the camera at a couple of spots is due having to move back under cover as it was starting to rain. Note how the train passes though the points and the single platform at the station with new signs to indicate train direction.



34. This is an image of the new floor makings at Saphan Taksin station. The platform is split into two zones one for each direction of travel. The Green Zone is for trains to National Stadium.



35. This is an image of a new overhead LCD information screen at Saphan Taksin station. When a train approaches the single platform station the screen displays the destination and which zone to wait in. In this case the Purple Zone for trains to Wong Wian Yai.



36. This is an image of the new information screen displaying where to wait for each direction of travel. This is only displayed when there are no trains present in the station.



37. This is a shot of the new platform markings in the middle of the platform at Saphan Taksin station. When both colours are displayed on the ground you can wait there for both directions of travel. So do note what train it is as it comes into the station.



38. This is an image of the new floor makings at Saphan Taksin station. The platform is split into two zones one for each direction of travel. The Purple Zone is for trains to Wong Wian Yai.



39. This is an image of the new platform information screen displaying a train to National Stadium. The screens are to help passengers know which direction the train is heading as it arrives.



40. This is a shot of a BTS train approaching Saphan Taksin station from Wong Wien Yai. Taken looking west over the Chao Phaya River. In the foreground mounting points for a platform extension can be seen. This is due to the fact that Saphan Taksin station is only long enough for 5 cars.



41. This is a shot of the track at the western end of Saphan Taksin station. Throughout the new BTS extension there are yellow sensors for the signal system. Unlike on the rest of the BTS system the signal system at Saphan Taksin is more complex due to the single track.



42. This is a shot of a Wong Wian Yai bound train about to load passengers at Saphan Taksin station. Taken looking east along the single platform. Note the how the screen displays the train destination.



43. This is a shot of a Wong Wian Yai bound BTS train. Taken as it passes the points on the Taksin Bridge on its way west across the river. After these points the rest of the line is double track.



44. This is an image of a National Stadium bound BTS train. Taken as it loads passengers at Saphan Taksin station. Note the information screen displaying the trains destination.



45. This is a shot of a BTS train waiting in the holding area at Wong Wian Yai station after completing a trip from National Stadium. Note the lovely stormy sky. Yet another rain storm was coming in.



This next section of the topic is related to the feeder bus services for the new BTS extension.
There are a number of BTMA and private bus routes that feed the new BTS stations in the Wong Wian Yai area. These mostly depart from the northern side of the station for both directions. However Route 76, 80N and 108 depart from the southern side of the station on outbound trips.

The following buses are known to service the new BTS station at Wong Wian Yai.

Route 3: Mochit 2 – Khlong San.
Route 20: Samut Chedi – Tha Din Daeng via BTS.
Route 76: Samae Dum – Phloen Chit.
Route 80N: Wo Po Ao Village – Taksin Bridge.
Route 84: Sam Phran/Om Yai – Khlong San.
Route 84N: Aue Arthon Salaya – Khlong San.
Route 105: Mahachai Mai – Khlong San.
Route 108: Ratcha Yothin Junction – Tha Phra - Taksin Bridge.
Route 120: Mahachai City – Khlong San.
Route 172: Kheha Thonburi – Happy Land.

In addition to these bus services there are also mini truck – bus services connecting with the BTS stations.

At Wong Wian Yai BTS station there is a poster displaying information about special BTS feeder bus routes. These services are said to depart under the BTS station at Wong Wian Yai. But appear to have not started to operate as yet. But may begin service on Monday 18th May 2009. There are 3 separate routes all are rather short local routes.

1. This is a shot of the poster referring to the new BTS feeder bus services at Wong Wian Yai BTS Station. These services appear to operate only between 6am and 7pm Monday to Friday. But the poster doesn't provide the full information on these services.



2. This is an image of a Thonburi Commercial College – Khlong San truck bus service. Taken as it was passing Krung Thonburi station.



3. This is a shot of a Route 84 Om Yai – Khlong San bus. Bus number BMTA 6 – 50389. Bus type Isuzu. Taken as it was passing Krung Thonburi station.



4. This is a shot of a Route 105 Mahachai Mai – Khlong San bus. Bus number BMTA 5 – 40323. Bus type Hino. Taken as it was passing Krung Thonburi station.



5. This is an image of a Route 120 Mahachai City – Khlong San bus. Bus number 120 – 21. Bus type Hino. Taken as it was passing Krung Thonburi station.



6. This is an image of a Route 76 Samae Dum – Phloen Chit bus. Bus number BMTA 5 – 67241. Bus type Daewoo aircon. Taken as it was join the main road to head through the traffic to Phloen Chit.



7. This is a shot of a Route 108 Ratcha Yothin Junction – Tha Phra - Taksin Bridge bus. Bus number 108 – 29. Bus type Merc non aircon. Taken out the front of Krung Thonburi station.



8. This is a shot of a Route 80N Wo Po Ao Village – Taksin Bridge bus. Bus number BMTA 6 – 50129. Bus type Isuzu. Taken out the front of Krung Thonburi station.



9. This is a shot of a Route 20 Samut Chedi – Tha Din Daeng via BTS bus. Bus number BMTA 5 – 6824. Bus type Merc 0305.



10. This is a shot of a Talat Phlu – Khlong San truck – bus. Taken as it was passing Krung Thonburi station. Truck type Suzuki.



11. This is an image of a Route 84N Aue Arthon Salaya – Khlong San bus. Bus number BMTA 6 – 56096. Bus type Isuzu aircon. Taken as it was passing Krung Thonburi station.



This final section of the topic relates to the transfer between Wong Wian Yai BTS station and Wong Wian Yai SRT station.

It is a real shame that the SRT station and BTS station at Wong Wian Yai are not next to each other. However they are close enough for one to walk between the two stations in 15 minutes. It is also possible to take a Motorbike taxi between the two stations for 10 to 20 Baht a trip.

Below are the instructions of how to walk between the BTS and SRT stations at Wong Wian Yai.

Step 1: Leave Wong Wian Yai BTS station via exit number 1.



Step 2: Walk down these steps on the northern side of Wong Wian Yai station and then do a U turn at the bottom of the steps. Then Walk West along Krung Thonburi road.



Step 3: Walk along Krung Thonburi road and over the Klong Bang Sai Kai bridge. Then turn Right into this soi.



Step 4: Walk along this soi until the end.



Step 5: Walk straight ahead here then turn to the Right on to Taksin road.



Step 6: Walk North along Taksin Road.



Step 7: Cross this footbridge over Taksin road.



Step 8: Turn to the Right once reach the other side of the footbridge.



Step 9: Walk North along Taksin road. Then turn Left into the 1st soi after crossing the footbridge. Once to see the Bangkok Bank ATM then walk Behind the ATM and onto the platform of Wong Wian Yai SRT station.



During Peak Travel periods on weekdays doing this transfer makes a lot of sense as you can save up to 90 minutes off a direct bus service despite the 15 minute walk via this route to transfer between the BTS and SRT stations at Wong Wian Yai.

For information on the SRT Mahachai Line please visit:

http://thaitransit.blogspot.com/2008/12/srt-cab-ride-mahachai-line-bang-bon.html

I hope you find the pictures and vehicles shown to be of interest if you view this please post some comments and feelings about the pictures.