Showing posts with label BTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BTS. Show all posts

Sunday 9 April 2017

Bangkok - Changing city landscapes

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RESIDENTS in Bangkok and neighbouring areas like Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan are seeing changing landscapes and new landmarks emerging in different areas – as many mass-transit projects are now under construction.

Several urban and suburban areas of the capital now have elevated structures overhead, with train tracks on bridges crossing the Chao Phraya River, old buildings disappearing, and new junctions in the making. 
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A lot more changes will be visible when many projects – some underground, some elevated and others a combination of the two – are completed in a few years’ time. 
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Many shop-houses and buildings have been expropriated for train stations, both above ground and elevated. Many areas adjacent to the train routes have already witnessed a boom in real estate development, with condominium projects having sprung up for people who prefer the convenience of rail travel to go to work or school.
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Tha Phra Intersection, on the Thon Buri side of Bangkok, will house a key interchange station for the Metropolitan Rapid Transit’s Blue Line. When construction of the Blue Line’s extended section is finished in October 2019, it will complete the circular route – the only one in the country.
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The three-way Fai Chai Junction will become a four-way intersection when construction of a new road is completed. The junction also houses one of the Blue Line stations being built under Charan Sanitwong Road. During World War II, spotlights were installed at this junction to help anti-aircraft guns find Allied bombers attacking at night. That is where its name comes from – Fai Chai means ‘flashlight’. The area saw frequent bombings as strategically significant targets such as a train station and a naval dockyard were located there. 
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Physical changes are also taking place or in set to occur in areas such as Tao Poon, Bang Sue, Rat Burana and Bang Pho in Bangkok, as well as Bang Yai district in Nonthaburi and the Samrong area in Samut Prakan.
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Given there are plans for Bangkok to have a mass-transit network that extends over 500 kilometres, it’s safe to say the dramatic changes to the city’s landscape will go on for some time – over a decade, if there are no further delays.
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Monday 13 June 2016

Bangkok, First look at Mangmoom Card

First look at Mangmoom Card, only all-in-one public transport card you’ll need

.No more fumbling for BTS, MRT and Airport Rail Link tickets. The Ministry of Transport has released the first look of the Mangmoom Card, the versatile ticketing system that works on several public transportation systems..
Just when we thought the news about Mangmoom Card from eight months ago was all a dream, the officials said they are testing the new system and preparing to launch the card by the end of the year, Chaiwat Thongkamkoon, Director of Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, told Channel 3 News.
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Introduced under the name "mangmoom” card or "spider” card in English, the universal ticket can be used as payment for several public transportation systems including the BTS, MRT and Airport Rail Link.
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Why mangmoom? Just like spiders that spin webs that reach everywhere, this ticket can be used to travel anywhere.
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 Chaiwat said the office has also prepared 200,000 cards to give away to citizens as a trial. While information about how you can register for a free card is not yet available, Chaiwat said officials will select people who use the trains regularly..
The Mangmoom Card, whose release date has been pushed back from August, can also be used at the MRT Purple Line, which will open on August 12.
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In the future, officials will develop the system further so that holders can use the card to pay for the fares on buses, boats, expressways, and even government services.
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Source: Coconuts

Thursday 29 October 2015

New BTS Gold Line along Chao Phraya River expected in 2017


A new BTS Gold Line, which will extend from Thonburi station for three kilometers, is expected to open in 2017.

Taweesak Lertprapan, director of the Traffic and Transportation Department, said the organization is currently assessing public opinion on the new BTS Gold Line, which will be partially funded by the the Icon Siam project, the THB50-billion, riverside shopping mall and condominium project by Siam Piwat, Magnolia Quality Development, and CP.

The project, on Charoen Nakhon road, is also set to open in 2017 and brands itself as the “largest community mall” in Thailand, with two 40- and 70-storey towers covering 80,000 square meters.

In the first launch, the BTS line will extend from the old Thonburi station with two stops: Icon Siam and Thaksin Hospital.

Two more stations along Somdet Chao Phraya road will be added later.

The new gold line, which was not originally in the BTS construction plan, was proposed in July.

The project is expected to cost THB2-3 billion and serve 47,000 passengers per day, Than Settakij and Prachachart reported.


Source: Coconuts

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