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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-cevy0mdY"]YouTube - A BTS train departs from Wong Wian Yai station.[/ame] 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. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNwWZhfcKh8"]YouTube - A BTS train arriving at Wong Wian Yai Station.[/ame] 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. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdwUW0GPkoI"]YouTube - A ride on BTS between Wong Wian Yai and Krung Thonburi stations.[/ame] 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. 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. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUp_XqPbRVs"]YouTube - A ride on BTS between Krung Thonburi and Saphan Taksin stations.[/ame] 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. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40lj0snqls"]YouTube - A BTS train waiting to enter the single track section.[/ame] 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.
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. 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. 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. If you would like to see more images of the new Wong Wian Yai BTS extension please visit: Thai Mass Transport Systems: The new BTS Extension to Wong Wian Yai. 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.
welcome back! good to see you back after your Had Yai disasters! Hope the camera has more luck than the last one.. presumably the Wong Wian yai stop is handy for the Maeklong line? but not so good for Bangkok Noi and Thonburi depot?
That's a very large facility! How many trains per day are planned? Boxcab E50 Once the 400 meter long single track section is settled operation wise. The headway is expected to be every 2 to 3 minutes at peak times and every 5 to 7 minutes off peak and weekends. Which are standard metro frequencies. Yes Wong Wien yai is best for Maeklong services via Mahachai.
Excellent report. Great video. Makes me want to return to Bangkok. Some friends want to do Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur in a 2nd class sleeper. Sounds like fun. When will the line to Suvarnabhumi Airport be completed?
