BTS: The extension to Suvarnabhumi... opening?

[bao-bao]

Got an email this morning from a friend in Bangkok letting me know that they're doing trial runs os the BTS extension from the Phayathai station to the airport from 07:00-10:00 and then 1600-19:00, Monday through Friday (during this June/July/August trial period).

He said there would be a luggage check-in system for the express line ("only stops at two stations, the airport and one in the city", whatever that means - probably Phayathai?) but I wonder just how that's supposed to work. They'd have to keep elevators working and people would have to be traveling light, I guess.

Does anyone on the ground there have any further info on this? My friend there is off on a vacation and I won't hear from him again for a while.

I'm just lazy enough to enjoy the ease of a taxi into town, but might try it some time.

Trips available on Airport Link test run
Published: 31/05/2010 at 04:12 PM

Members of the public will be able to take a test ride on the Airport Rail Link train from now until Friday night, State Railway of Thailand governor Yutthana Thapcharoen said on Monday.

The test ride will run from Phaya Thai station to Suvarnabhumi airport and there will be no stops along the way.

The trains will leave every 20 minutes. The trip will take about 25 minutes.

The test runs began today and will continue until Friday, from 7 to 10am, and from 4 to 7pm.

Anyone interested can call 1690, 02-222-0175 and 02-220-2468 or visit www.railway.co.th (http://www.railway.co.th).

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/179701/test-ride-of-airport-rail-link-train-tomorrow

[bao-bao]

Thanks, dave_syd! I foolishly went to the BTS site and couldn't find anything. :blackeye:

No worries. Its actually a completely separate operation to the BTS, run by the SRT (State Rail of Thailand). In the pics you can see the trains are slightly different to the ones used by the BTS.

[maisoui]

He said there would be a luggage check-in system for the express line ("only stops at two stations, the airport and one in the city", whatever that means - probably Phayathai?) but I wonder just how that's supposed to work. They'd have to keep elevators working and people would have to be traveling light, I guess.



Maybe it's like in Hong Kong (Central or Kowloon Stations) where the airline checks your baggage in at the rail-terminal, through to your final destination.

What a pity they got they rail link working just when every decided that Thailand is too amazing to be safely visited.