page_title: Transport in Bangkok
section_title: Rail systems
hierarchical_section_title: Transport in Bangkok / Rail systems
caption_attribution_description: English: A BTS train passes over the busy Sala Daeng Intersection in Bangkok. The MRT also crosses below the street at this location.
context_page_description: Bangkok has 9.7 million automobiles and motorbikes, a number the government says is eight times more than can be properly accommodated on existing roads. And those numbers are increasing by 700 additional cars and 400 motorbikes every day. Charoen Krung Road, the first road to be built by Western techniques, was completed in 1864. Since then, the road network has expanded to accommodate the sprawling city's needs. Besides roads, Bangkok is served by several other transport systems. Bangkok's canals and ferries historically served as a major mode of transport, but they have long since been eclipsed by land traffic. A complex elevated expressway network helps bring traffic into and out of the city centre, but Bangkok's rapid growth has put a large strain on infrastructure. By the late-1970s, Bangkok became known as "the city of traffic disaster". Although rail transport was introduced in 1893 and electric trams served the city from 1894 to 1968, it was only in 1999 that Bangkok's first rapid transit system began operation. Older public transport systems include an extensive bus network and boat services which still operate on the Chao Phraya and two canals.
context_section_description: Bangkok is the location of Hua Lamphong Railway Station, the main terminus of the national rail network operated by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). In addition to long-distance services, the SRT also operates a few daily commuter trains running from and to the outskirts of the city during the rush hour.
  Trams in Bangkok operated from 1888 and closed in 1968, following increases in road traffic.
  Bangkok is currently served by three rapid transit systems: the BTS Skytrain, the MRT and the Airport Rail Link. Although proposals for the development of rapid transit in Bangkok had been made since 1975, it was only in 1999 that the BTS finally began operation.
  Currently, the BTS consists of two lines, Sukhumvit and Silom, with forty three stations along 51.69 kilometres (32.12 mi). The MRT opened for use in July 2004 and currently consists of two lines, the Blue Line and Purple Line, with a total of 45 stations along 60.1 kilometres (37.3 mi). The Airport Rail Link, opened in August 2010, is operated by the SRT and connects the city centre to Suvarnabhumi Airport to the east. Its eight stations span a distance of 28 kilometres (17 mi).
  Although initial passenger numbers were low and their service area remains limited to the inner city, these systems have become indispensable to many commuters. The BTS reported an average weekday ridership of 720,155 trips in 2015-2016 The MRT had 260,325 passenger trips per day. Relatively high fares have kept these systems inaccessible to a portion of the population.
  The BTS and MRT have had several route extensions since their openings. As of 2018, several additional rapid transit lines - including orange line, purple line, dark red line and light red line along with another two new monorail lines - and extensions of existing lines are also under construction. The system is expected to expand to a length of 260 km by the end of 2021. The entire Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan in Bangkok Metropolitan Region consists of eight main lines and four feeder lines totalling 508 kilometres (316 mi) to be completed by 2029, a mixture of rapid transit, heavy rail and monorail systems.
caption: A BTS train passes over the busy Sala Daeng Intersection. The MRT also crosses below the street at this location.
exif: {"Image Make": "HTC", "Image XResolution": "36", "Image YResolution": "36", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Paint.NET v3.5.10", "Image DateTime": "2008:12:23 15:20:17", "Image ExifOffset": "152", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:12:23 15:20:17", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1600", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1200"}