The Surprisingly Interesting History and Secrets of Bangkok's Public Transport

If you know me, you know I love a good metro system. Living here though, I am always shocked at how little people know about Bangkok's public transport - even as they use (some of) it every day. Which is a shame, because I think it has the most interesting history of any metro system in the world - and tourists usually only see the surface of it. The maps you see at the BTS or MRT stations are pretty incomplete, and aren't telling you about all your options.

But what's equally interesting to me, is it took Thailand three attempts to build a metro at all. I say this coming from a city who also has a failed metro project, but I find this is really fascinating. The first two failed projects left a legacy that you can still see hints of in the current metro system, and has some good lessons on what not to do.

Part I: The Lavalin Skytrain

Let's go back to the totally rad year of 1984. Bangkok, the "Venice of Asia", is choking on traffic. They needed to make some changes, and they needed them quickly. Enter Lavalin Corporation, a Canadian firm that was no stranger to metros - having previously built Vancouver's Skytrain system, an elevated "light-medium rail" solution that would be faster and cheaper than an underground heavy rail metro. Bangkok was scrambling for a solution, and the smaller price tag didn't hurt either. So the Skytrain system seemed like a perfect match. Three lines were planned, largely mirroring the lines in use today: The Sathorn Line ran along today's BTS Silom Line and Eastern MRT Blue Line, The Rama IV Line followed the BTS Sukhumvit Line, and Saphan Phut Line mirrored the Western Airport Rail Link and the future Southern MRT Purple Line.

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/Ea7c

However, this was Thailand's first metro project. Also if you know anything about Thailand, their government changes with the wind pretty easily. These two things (along with numerous allegations of corruption) led to a protracted 6 year planning process, with construction finally starting in 1990. Immediately there were problems. Because the funding and land use for each section did not get approved at the same time, it was allocated "piecemeal" - as in, plan to build a part here, build another 10km down the line. But even that was a mess, with the land allocated but not the funding, or vice-versa. This led to a lot of stuff not getting done, and consequently, the only significant part that was "completed" was the middle section of the Phra Pok Klao Bridge - which was actually already designed to carry a future train when it was built 10 years ago. 

As the story goes, "And then things got worse". Thailand had a coup in 1991, followed by an interim government, and then a permanent government. Each of these three governments had separate priorities for transit, and each of the three mucking around with it made an already complicated situation a fustercluck. Furthermore there was a big "anti-corruption" drive, and so many fingers in the pot made the whole system basically irredeemable. The entire project was canceled in 1992, with virtually nothing to show for it - the middle viaduct of the Phra Pok Klao Bridge sat as a husk for 30 years (pictured below), being referred to as locals as "The Amputated Bridge". Today it has been repurposed as the Chao Phraya Skypark (further below), and is actually pretty nice place to walk. The cancellation of the Lavalin System was a pivotal moment that had far reaching implications for Bangkok's current metro system, which we'll get into later. Lavalin Corporation still exists today, but their construction division was eventually acquired by Bombardier - who were probably eager to forget about this boondoggle.

https://pantip.com/topic/39309061

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/Ea7X

Part II: The Hopewell Project

Even though the Lavalin Skytrain sputtered out, that didn't change the fact that Bangkok still needed a metro - now more than ever, since congestion had only gotten worse in the meantime. The city tried to alleviate some issues by constructing flyovers/tunnels to dodge busy intersections, though these were band-aid solutions. Fortunately, there was A New Hope...well. Officially called The Bangkok Elevated Road and Train System (BERTS), it was undertaken by Hong Kong based Hopewell Holdings. The official name never really caught on, and the Hopewell company came under a lot of scrutiny after the Lavalin debacle. "BERTS" didn't have much of a ring to it, so over time it came to be known as just "The Hopewell Project". Though it is worth noting that the Hopewell Project was not in response to Lavalin - in fact, although it got the ball rolling a few years later, they were being worked on simultaneously. You may ask, "Why did Bangkok simultaneously start a second massive infrastructure project, when they couldn't even handle the first?"

...

Which is a reasonable question, with an admittedly silly answer - The Lavalin Skytrain was spearheaded by Bangkok city, while the Hopewell Project was through The State Railway of Thailand (SRT). They had completely separate systems, funding, and goals. In fact, the proposed routes even nonsensically overlapped in places - the Lavalin System would run parallel to some of the Hopewell's Eastern Branch, as seen in the SRT stations on the map above (though all but one would probably have been dropped to make an interchange). But since Hopewell was SRT's baby, they had one huge advantage - it was to be built above existing railway track, so the land already belonged to them. Thus it would have followed the existing lines, connecting from Hua Lamphong to Don Mueang (today's SRT Northern Line/Dark Red Line), with another line from Yommarat to Lat Krabang (today's SRT Eastern Line/Airport Rail Link).

Modified from: https://www.bangkoktransitmap.com/

It got off to a fast start, and not just by Thai standards. The initial planning began in 1989, with the feasibility studies, land use, and government approval being completed in only a year - compared to Lavalin's six. Construction began in late 1990, just 6 months after the Lavalin Skytain began. That means for a glorious 1.5 years, Bangkok, a city which had never built a metro before, was now building two, with little or no cooperation between them.

And perhaps things came together too quickly for the Hopewell Project. The State Railway over-promised, saying that some sections of their system could be used for highways as well. But when Hopewell looked at the designs, the numbers just didn't add up. The planning inconsistencies continued to accumulate, and The State Railway dragged their feet every step of the way, such as allocating land (which remember, was already theirs) to Hopewell. Similar to the Lavalin project, everything was done piecemeal, leading to unclear directions and funding. Amazingly, the project survived the 1991 coup, but only just - many in the government also labeled it as a boondoggle, perhaps the two systems getting wrapped up together. But also amazingly, due to the backing of the SRT, Hopewell was able to hold on. However, it was an injured animal at that point, and construction slowed to a snails pace for years. The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis finally was the nail in the coffin. At a mere ~10% complete, the only thing the project accomplished was building a scattered collection of useless pillars. The Bangkok Post dubbed them "Thailand's Stonehenge", a nickname which endured for decades. Hopewell Holdings, still around today, sued the Thai government for breach of contract. Some thirty years later, the lawsuit is still ongoing.

 

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/Ea9S

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/Ea9X

Part III: The (Real) Skytrain

Remember when I mentioned the fallout of the Lavalin Skytrain had far reaching implications? The first of those was the creation of the BTS, probably the most famous metro for visitors today. But to start, we need to rewind the clock again to the totally fresh year 1992. The dust from the coup has finally settled, and the Lavalin Skytrain just got canned. The new governor of Bangkok, Chamlong Srimuang, sees that SRT is off over there doing its Hopewell thing. But he also sees that it's a hot mess, so he has very little faith in the project. Furthermore, even if it does work out, it is more suited to get people from the suburbs into the city, rather than getting around the city itself. Everyone still agrees Bangkok needs a metro, but disagrees how. Chamlong is a devout Buddhist who walks the walk, and so has the political capital and public trust to pull it off. Still, the government and Bangkokians are weary about another project which could fail and waste more public funds. So Chamlong has an idea - form a public private partnership, where the city and taxpayers don't have to pay a single baht. Instead, the city would do the feasibility study, plan the route, and provide the land. Then, a private company gets 30 years to build it and collect all the money. Furthermore, the scale was dramatically reduced. The idea was to start small and be able to deliver something, with the option for expansion. This raised the public's confidence in the project, and the government agreed to move forward. The only question was, who would build and operate it?

Chamlong Srimuang - Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/EbSA

There was a bidding process, which fell under some scrutiny. While some foreign firms were involved, the clear front-runner was Tanayong, a Thai real estate and infrastructure company. The fact that it was an "in-house" Thai company was appealing, and they were willing to take on the financing. One problem - Tanayong had never made a train before. While they had a lot of experience building apartments and offices, they had only recently begun doing roads and bridges. Still, they had connections with Siemens that they could use for their train expertise, and were politically connected enough to get approval. And at the end of the day, they are assuming all the risk - so what do the taxpayers have to lose?

And against all odds, it actually worked. The Bangkok government took a cue from the Hopewell Project, and built over land it already owned - chiefly Phahon Yothin and Sukhumvit Roads, which were the most congested and had space in the medians to support the pillars. The planned length of the system was a third of Lavalin's, with only a single interchange. Construction took about 3 years, starting in 1996. Even though the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis cut the value of the baht nearly in half, they pressed on, and amazingly, actually delivered on time. Officially called the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS), the press and public referred to it as the Skytrain, perhaps a subtle jab at the previous attempt. While the Skytrain name isn't official, it caught on, and embraced by Tanayong in marketing materials for its "cool" sounding name. Speaking of, Tanayong is still around today, operating the BTS. Through various corporate restructuring, they're known as BTSC, and their operating lease has been extended until 2042.

https://printable-maps.blogspot.com/2012/02/bangkok-bts-map.html

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/EbSC

Part IV: The (Real) MRT

The second result of the Lavalin Skytrain was what we know today as the MRT Blue Line. Its planning also began after the collapse in 1992. But this time, they needed to make some changes - the government saw the dangers of having multiple independent systems being built simultaneously, and decided there really ought to be an agency to oversee this sort of thing. Thus, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) was born. Just as they were settling into their offices, the city government began work on the BTS. So MRTA's first project then, was to complement the BTS system by serving the other major population centers. However, they had a much harder task ahead of them - using elevated lines like the BTS was not an option everywhere, as the streets were usually too narrow and not properly aligned. Furthermore, the MRT was seen as being the backbone of Bangkok's transportation system, so underground heavy rail was needed to move the number of riders projected.

The vision was for the route to be a large circle, which would serve both sides of the river. However, they perhaps rather wisely scaled back to something more achievable, especially to avoid tunneling under the river twice. The revised route was to connect Bangkok's overcrowded main train station (Hua Lamphong), to the northern train station (Bang Sue), all while running through some of the densest parts of town. This route also provided connections to the BTS, allowing for some sort of integration between the systems. However, the Public Private Partnership the BTS relied wasn't seen as feasible for this endeavor. The MRT was underground and heavy rail, and thus require an enormous amount of capital and risk for a company to undertake. Instead MRTA instead went forward with public funds, and would be the owner-operators. Construction began in 1996, and everyone held their collective breath it would work this time.

Ah, but that pesky Asian Financial Crisis is back again! Not even a year after starting construction, the value of the baht plummeted. Suddenly, MRTA did not have enough money to finish. To keep the project going, they decided to sell off the one thing they could - the concession to operate the MRT. This was seen as a bit of a shock. At least for the BTS, the private company paid for the construction - if MRTA is paying for that, what risk does this new company have? Still, something was better than nothing. MRTA reached out for bidders, and was met with silence. Nobody was interested to put up even a little capital for something that may not come to fruition, given two previous metro failiures. However, one company did step up. CK Group was a public infrastructure company, already well experienced with building Bangkok's bridges and roads. However, they knew nothing about metros. They bid anyway, and as the only bidder, it was chosen. Thus, the CK Group created the Bangkok Metro Company Limited (BMCL) to be the operators. And as expected, a brand new company with no metro experience was quickly met with controversy. There were many allegations of cronyism and corruption, given how the CK Group was already well integrated in Thai politics. But MRTA was between a rock and a hard place, and decided to accept. And against all odds (again), the MRT did open, albeit a few years behind schedule. Over time the Blue Line would be expanded, eventually forming the loop many years after it was envisioned. BMCL (now BEM, or Bangkok Expressway and Metro Company) still operates the MRT, and has a contract until 2029.

https://visitortothailand.com/app/docs/map/map-bkk-mrt.html

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/EejV

Part V: The Other Trains

As you can see from the map above, the system has changed a lot from just the initial BTS Green Lines and the MRT Blue Line. Of course they've been expanded quite a bit, but there are also plenty of other systems with a shorter history:

• Bangkok BRT - Light Yellow (2010): Okay, this isn't a train, but I don't know where else to put it - it is a Bus Rapid Transit system that connects southern Sathorn to Thonburi. It operates as a metro, with dedicated lanes and station platforms. While initially many BRT lines were proposed, this is the only survivor. It is operated by the BTSC, making it a pretty unique system among Bangkok. There are plans to replace it with a light rail line in the future.
• Airport Rail Link - Maroon (2010): Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in 2006, which was coincidentally quite near the SRT Eastern Line. Wanting to get over the embarrassment of the Hopewell Project, SRT pushed forward to build and operate their own metro system. While initially it was thought the Hopewell pillars could be reused, nobody was clear on how suitable they still were, being exposed to the elements for 20 years. Instead they tore them down, and acquired some land for a 6km spur to link the eastern line to the airport terminal. The opening was delayed until 2010, but is now a vital way to travel east-west across the city, as well as the fastest way to the airport.
• MRT Purple Line (2016): A suburban line connecting Nonthaburi to downtown. Entirely above ground, it was built by MRTA and operated by BEM (just like the Blue Line). It is scheduled to be expanded south in 2029, with stations near popular tourist attractions like Khao San Road, The Grand Palace, and Wat Pho, before continuing into Thonburi.
• BTS Gold Line (2020): Rather unique among all the lines, this one was built and operated by BTSC, their first construction project in 20 years. Essentially a feeder line, it was financed by the owners of Icon Siam, a very expensive and giant shopping mall that is kind of the "flagship" mall of Bangkok. It is only 2km long, and uses rubber tires - making it more like a people mover than an actual metro line. Eventually it will be expanded one more station to connect to the Purple Line.
• SRT Dark Red Line (2021): Just like the Airport Rail Link, this route followed the Hopewell Project's northern route. It allowed SRT to remove more of the Hopewell pillars, and allow a convenient way to travel to/from Don Mueang Airport. This erased almost every mark of the Hopewell project - except for some parts a bit further south, where a few pillars have been incorporated into lighter city infrastructure such as pedestrian bridges.
• SRT Light Red Line (2021): More or less a continuation of the Dark Red Line, they were built at the same time. This allows commuters from Taling Chan to connect to Bangkok's main station, and the greater metro system.
• MRT Yellow Line (2023): Connecting Lad Phrao to Bang Na, forming part of a outer loop to connect the suburbs. It was built by MRTA, and is operated by BTSC. 
• MRT Pink Line (2023): The newest MRT, opening only a few months after the Yellow Line. It is a suburban monorail line connecting Nonthaburi to Minburi. Just like the Yellow Line, it was built by MRTA and is operated by BTSC. While presently the Minburi section is poorly connected, the future MRT Orange and Silver lines will make it much more useful.

 

Part VI: The Chao Phraya Express

 

Like many cities, Bangkok has a big ol' river running through the middle of it. The Chao Phraya, or "River of Kings", is downstream from the Mekong River, eventually connecting to the ocean. From as long as there were people living in the region, it was a vital way to get around, and remains navigable today for several hundred kilometers inland. For many years, the Marine Department had their own ferries, generally operated at a loss due to being a public service. They were hardly the only player though, numerous private individuals and companies also had services up, down, and across the river. Things changed in 1971 though, when the government moved to standardize transport, and get rid of their money-losing ferries. They chose one of the largest companies at the time, Supatra Boat Services, to run things, who then rebranded themselves as the Chao Phraya Express Boat Company. As part of the deal, they were required to operate the routes from the Marine Department that lost money as well.

 

This seemed like a bad deal at first - the company was already barely getting by, now with the added burden of running some routes at a loss. Ms. Supatra was pretty forward thinking however. She knew that traffic was only getting worse in Bangkok, and the river would become an ever more attractive way to travel. She also knew that this deal essentially gave her a monopoly over river transport. She started buying up land and placing piers at her properties, greatly increasing their value. She also expanded into the tourism sector, running luxury cruises up and down the river. While initially this new company was unprofitable, it eventually turned around in the 90s. The Supatra family still runs the service, some four generations later.

 

Khunying Supatra Singhulaka (1910-1983): https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3096126/riverboat-queens-bangkok-how-three-generations-women-turned

 

While essential for locals, for tourists this system often goes overlooked. It is poorly marked on maps, usually just a single icon. Even then, it is rarely marked on the "master" map posted up at every metro station, and only on individual lines. Most people will connect at BTS Saphan Thaksin (although in suburban Nonthaburi there are some MRT connections as well). But actually, most tourists won't even hear about the river boats unless they stay in one of the hotels on the river. They like to advertise this as a "cool" way to get around the city, often pointing visitors to luxury cruises in the process.

 

This is NOT what locals use - https://blog.trazy.com/chao-phraya-river-cruise-selection-guide/

But the public boats are fairly accessible, and IMO, a much more fun way to get around. However, it takes a little bit of work to understand them. There are 5 different lines that travel up and down the river, with each line designated by a colored flag on the boat. Your pier may be served by only some of the boats, so you may need to make a transfer to get to exactly where you want to go. Fortunately the maps are pretty intuitive, if a little bit complicated (see below). When the boat arrives, you just hop on - the ticket taker will walk around to ask for the fare. Don't worry about messing up. They are remarkably perceptive at keeping track of the hundred or so people who constantly get on and off. If it's a very busy day and you aren't going far, you may need to approach the ticket taker yourself. But the hustle and bustle of the system, and traveling by boat, makes for a pretty unique Bangkok experience.

  

https://thailandmagazine.com/bangkok/transportation/chao-phraya-river-express/

 

https://thaiest.com/thailand/bangkok/river-boats

 

Part VII: The Khlong Saen Saep

 

The Saen Saep Canal, or "khlong" is the real hidden metro in Bangkok. Bangkok is no stranger to canals, and locals have used their personal boats to move around the city forever. However this is the largest canal, and its history goes back to the 1830s. At that time, Thailand was in a war with Cambodia, and King Rama III ordered that it be dug to support the war effort. At over 70km long, it was quite an undertaking of manual labor. This is also how the canal got its name, translating to "extremely painful" (yes really), referring to either the effort needed to dig it or the weapons it transported. But 1990 was the real start of things, when the Bangkok government wanted to formalize a transport system on the canal - as part of their never ending quest of trying (and mostly failing) to control traffic. They asked for bids, and there were a few companies that threw their hat in the ring. In the end, Bangkok chose Mr. Chaowalit Methayaprapas, who was kind of a nobody all things considered. But he was a plucky transportation upstart with a few boats on the canal already, and he even created a shuttle bus service to and from his university when he was a student. His bid revolved around the boats being very cheap and on time, which is exactly what Bangkok was looking for - basically a water bus. In contrast, other companies put in bids for more expensive services, akin to luxury liners.

And that was that. Bangkok announced that Mr. Methayaprapas's company, "Family Transport" won the tender. An ambitious fellow, he slapped together some piers made of scrap wood, and began service that very same day. Over the first few years he quickly expanded the fleet, and replaced the piers with more permanent construction. It's changed little since then, with the whole system being basic yet functional. For all intents and purposes, service is a single line. However, there is a transfer station at Pratunam for a switch to smaller boats in order to navigate the narrower inner-city canals. Additionally, there is a transfer station in Bang Kapi to extend the service even further into the suburbs. Overall the boats run from Wat Saket (near the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Khao San) through Pratunam (Central World), and roughly follow along the Airport Rail Link before turning north towards Minburi. There are many stops that are nearby BTS, MRT, and ARL stations, making it surprisingly connected.

 

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/EhXs

Wikimedia Commons: https://w.wiki/EhXx

It is unlikely a tourist would stumble on one of the piers, as they're 1) not on many maps, 2) pretty unassuming, and 3) often down alleyways. However, it is a pretty amazing service, and a tourist attraction in and of itself. The boats are loud, using oversized engines that make them quite speedy. With no traffic to worry about, it is probably the fastest way to travel across the city outside of the toll highway. It's also cheap, with fares capping out at around 20 baht (60 cents). The workers are really something, clinging to the sides of boats like acrobats while it bounces and turns through the city. Like the Chao Phraya Express Boat, you just hop on when the boat arrives. The staff will try to come find you, and it relies on the honor system - just tell them where you're going when you pay, and they trust you're telling the truth. This is also a good place to add that Bangkok is trying hard to expand the canal services. To start, they've recently been pushing really hard to clean up the waterways. They had a trial service from Bang Wa to Bang Khae, which had to be suspended in 2022 because of nearby construction. They are also currently building the piers and widening the canal from Phra Kanong to Iam Sombat for a new service in the near future. And finally, there is an infrequent trial service from Hua Lamphong to the Chao Phraya, using all electric boats. So perhaps in the near future, Bangkok will start to reclaim its title as "Venice of the East".

 

Hua Lamphong Trial Service

Canal works at Phra Kanong