Bangkok is planning to build the Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway (the High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Project). Bangkok is also planning the eastern extension of the Light Red Line commuter railway in the same corridor.
The Light Red Line eastern extension is an unnecessary duplication of resources. The money and labour hours should be directed to more urgent transit projects.
My proposal is to scrap the Light Red Line eastern extension and build a transit line along Petchaburi Road.
Maps of the 3-Airport Line and Light Red Line
I have made a Google Map to help follow along with this article. The map includes:
– The current route of the Airport Rail Link, which will become the 3-Airport Line.
– The proposed stations of the Light Red Line eastern extension.
– Existing SRT stations that are under the proposed Light Red Line and current ARL.
– Suggested stations for a Petchaburi Skytrain
[Map of Bangkok ARL/Light Red Line extension/proposed Petchaburi Skytrain.]
The official planning map (M-MAP 2) shows the Light Red Line dotted next to the ARL.
[Map via m-map2thailand.com (view full map).]
There are more unofficial maps listed on the Bangkok Mass Rapid Transit System Guide.
Light Red Line: Bang Sue (Krung Thep Aphiwat) – Phaya Thai
[Future southbound lines at Krung Thep Aphiwat.]
The Light Red Line extension from Bang Sue (Krung Thep Aphiwat) to Phaya Thai is in the same corridor as the proposed 3-Airport line. The good news is that neither railway has started construction on this section.
[Future western Airport Rail Link extension at Phaya Thai.]
Instead of the two lines following each other on the same route, the line should be dedicated to the 3-Airport railway link. The line from Bang Sue (Krung Thep Aphiwat) to Phaya Thai should be a 4-line railway, so that express and local trains can run without interruption. This is what should have been built on the current Airport Rail Link, which is a 2-line railway with a passing loop at Hua Mak.
Light Red Line: Phaya Thai – Hua Mak
The proposed Light Red Line extension then continues from Phaya Thai to Hua Mak, following the route of the current Airport Rail Link (which will be the future 3-Airport Line). This section of the Light Red Line should be scrapped completely.
[The Airport Rail Link at Makkasan looking towards Phaya Thai. The Light Red Line is planned to be built along here.]
Light Red Line: Hua Mak to Chachoengsao
The long-term plan of the Light Red Line is to extend it from Hua Mak to Chachoengsao. This is also in the 3-Airport rail corridor, so the Light Red Line should also be scrapped.
SRT Eastern Line
The SRT Eastern Line runs underneath the current Airport Rail Link. The Airport Rail Link was built without any consideration to be integrated with the SRT stations of the Eastern Line. I explained this in detail in my article about Makkasan Station.
Makkasan Station was built without any provision for future expansion, including the Light Red Line or long-distance SRT trains on the Eastern Line.
My proposal is to build a standard-gauge railway from Makkasan to the Cambodian border (connecting to Phnom Penh). This is what the future line should be, so building a metre-gauge commuter line will divert resources from what the long-term goal should be.
A new proposal: Petchaburi Skytrain
Instead of building a railway in a corridor that already has a railway, build a railway where is it needed more.I propose a new transit line along Petchaburi Road from Ratchathewi to Hua Mak (Phase I).
Petchaburi Road is one of the ugliest roads in Bangkok. It’s a traffic sewer in peak hour,, and there is little of interest for pedestrians along this road. Have a walk down the road and see all the shuttered and beaten-up shops
[Old shopfronts on Petchaburi Road (2024).]
Petchaburi Road is one of the main thoroughfares of central Bangkok, so it should be as lively and pleasant as Sukhumvit Road. It seems unbelievable now that Petchaburi Road used to compete with Sukhumvit Road:
“Phetchaburi and Sukhumvit roads were the prime locales for hotels in the 1960s, springing up in large part to serve the needs of US soldiers on R&R breaks during the Vietnam War.”
There are still some evidence of this era, with remnants of post-modern architecture and dilapidated massage parlours down some of the sois off Petchaburi Road.
[“Let’s hang out on Petchaburi Road”, said no one in the last 40 years.]
I have often wondered what would happen to Petchaburi Road if it had an elevated railway down the middle like Sukhumvit Road. Plant some more trees along here and make it easier to get to, and the shops would return.
[Could Petchaburi Road get a Sukhumvitesque renaissance?]
Petchaburi Skytrain Route
The Petchaburi Skytrain (BTS or MRT or whoever gets to operate it) should run from Ratchathewi to Hua Mak in Phase I. The line could then be extended further east in Phase II, depending on where it would be most effective.
I have plotted the route of this proposed Petchaburi Skytrain on the Google Map.
The line begins at Ratchathewi as it would be difficult to extend the line over the elevated BTS line at Ratchathewi. There is also the proposed Orange Line underground station here, so the Orange Line will cover the route to the west.
Ratchathewi would then become a super station, with 3 lines converging here. The Ratchathewi BTS and Petchaburi Skytrain would have an interchange that resembles the current Phaya Thai BTS/Phaya Thai ARL interchange. I have not seen how the aboveground Ratchathewi BTS will interchange with the underground Ratchathewi MRT yet.
The next station is at Pratunam, which is also another future Orange Line Station. It’s not ideal to have such overlaps, but it’s a common occurrence on big systems (eg City Hall and Raffles Place are served by the East-West and North-South lines in Singapore). If you live on Petchaburi Road then you deserve overlapping transit lines.
The next station is Wireless Road. This could interchange with the proposed Light Blue Line Monorail.
Petchaburi Station can interchange with the Petchaburi MRT Station. There should also be an integrated interchange with Makkasan Station, which would be included as part of my proposed redevelopment plan.
After Petchaburi, the stations should be spaced out similar to the BTS stations on Sukhumvit Road. There would be an interchange at Sun Wichai with the Grey Line Monorail (at the top end of Thong Lor).
One of the objections I foresee with this proposal is that it’s too close to the Airport Rail Link. Apart from the fact that there has been little objection to the Red Line and 3-Airport Line running alongside each other, Petchaburi Road is a high-traffic road that needs a transit line.
When I need to go somewhere along Petchaburi Road I look at the ARL stations. Even though the ARL runs close to Petchaburi Road, there are not enough stations to make it useful transport option. A transit railway along Petchaburi Road should have more stations, and it should be a BTS-style transit system (not another monorail).
The Petchaburi Skytrain (Phase I) terminates near the Hua Mak Yellow Line Monorail.
No shame in changing plans (Bangkok has seen worse)
While the SRT is going ahead with other planned Red Line extensions, it’s stuck with how to extend the eastern section of the Light Red Line. It would be better to scrap it now before construction begins.
Bangkok has already experienced a railway that began construction that was then abandoned. The Hopewell project still haunts Bangkok today with ongoing legal fights. The abandoned pillars are known as “Thailand’s Stonehenge”.
[Remnants of the Hopewell project, “Thailand’s Stonehenge”.]
The rail corridor from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Hua Mak should be left to the 3-Airport line, and a new transit line built along Petchaburi Road. This would solve the Red Line extension problem, and fix one of the worst roads in Bangkok in the process.
One can only hope that someone with authority reads this but they would probably bury their head in the sand
I have on the one hand admired all the investment in transport in Bangkok over the years whilst on the other hand despairing at the lack of planing and co ordination
Here is another article I didn’t add which mentions two competing stations near each other
https://thethaiger.com/news/national/srt-board-mandates-red-line-review-over-high-speed-rail-concerns
utter madness that they are planning this!
This would be a godsend, not only helping to relieve the congestion along Sukhumvit but also reducing the useless Red lines duplication. I don’t know why they insisted on doing that. It’s a shame that no one who has a say in the matter would read this. I suggest you send it to Chadchart’s team (Traffy Fondue maybe?) and he might be able to forward it to the relevant departments.