Thailand's capitalBangkok has been served byrail transit since 1897 and today hosts a full complement of intercity, commuter and metro lines.
Bangkok's first rail line was the privatePaknam Railway linking Bangkok to Samut Prakan which opened in 1893.
Electric trams served Bangkok from 1894 to 1968. At the turn of the 20th century, KingRama V's new tram network employed foreign engineers and technicians, especially from Denmark.
TheState Railway of Thailand (SRT) was founded in 1890[1] and operated its first train service in 1897[1] The SRT remains the only railway operator that operates services betweenBangkok Metropolitan Region and other parts of the country.
Proposals for the development ofrapid transit in Bangkok date back to 1975.[2] One such was for the failedLavalin Skytrain. A rapid-transit network finally opened in 1999, with theSukhumvit Line andSilom Line of theBTS Skytrain.
Since then, a number of additional lines have opened. In 2004, theBlue Line became the first with an underground section. In 2010 theAirport Rail Link connectedPhaya Thai station withSuvarnabhumi Airport. In that yearBangkok BRT also began operation. In 2016, thePurple Line opened. In 2020, theGold Line opened. In 2021, theSRT Red Lines, consisting ofSRT Dark Red Line andSRT Light Red Line, began operation.
In 2023, the country's first two monorail lines, theYellow Line andPink Line, opened.
Bangkok is currently served by four rapid-transit systems: the BTS Skytrain, the MRT, the Airport Rail Link, and the SRT Red Lines.
| System | Began operation | Lines in operation | Lengths in operation | Stations in operation | Operators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 BTS Skytrain | 1999 | 3 | 100 km (62.[3] 2 mi) | 63 | BTSC under concession fromBMA |
 MRT | 2004 | 4 | 135.9 km (84.4 mi) | 107 | BEM (Blue Line and Purple Line) Eastern Bangkok Monorail (Yellow Line) under concession fromMRTANorthern Bangkok Monorail (Pink Line) under concession fromMRTA |
 Airport Rail Link | 2010 | 1 | 28.6 km (17.8 mi) | 8 | Asia Era One under concession fromSRT[4] |
| SRT Red Lines | 2021 | 2 | 41 kilometres (25 mi) | 14 | SRT |
| Total | 10 | 275.55 km (171.22 mi) | 162 | ||
The Skytrain consists of three lines, totalling 70.05 kilometers (43.53 mi). TheSukhumvit Line runs southwards fromKhu Khot Station alongPhahon Yothin Road and then eastwards alongSukhumvit Road to Kheha Station inSamut Prakan. TheSilom Line runs eastwards from National Stadium Station inPathum Wan District, then southwest alongRatchadamri,Si Lom,Narathiwat Ratchanakharin andSathon Roads, crossing theChao Phraya passing Wong Wian Yai Station inKhlong San towards Bang Wa Station inPhasi Charoen District. Both lines are elevated, and interchange atSiam Station in Pathum Wan. TheGold Line runs alongCharoen Nakhon Road inKhlong San fromKrung Thon Buri Station, which interchanges with the Silom Line, toKhlong San Station.
The MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit) system opened in July 2004, and currently consists of four lines, theBlue Line (partially underground heavy rail),Purple Line (above-groundmedium capacity rail) andYellow Line andPink Line (monorail). The Blue Line runs for 37.1 kilometres (23.1 mi) from Tao Poon Station in a southward arc through the east alongRatchadaphisek Road, via Hua Lamphong, where it connects to the central railway station, to Lak Song. It has 38 stations, and connects to the BTS system at BTS stations Mo Chit, Asok, Sala Daeng and Bang Wa. The Blue Line was extended to form a circle in 2020. ThePurple Line opened in 2016.
Although initial passenger numbers were low, these systems have become indispensable to many commuters. The BTS reported an average of 392,167 daily trips in 2010, while the MRT had 178,334 passenger trips per day. However, relatively high fare prices have kept these systems inaccessible to a portion of the population. The Pink and Yellow monorail lines opened in 2023.
The Airport Rail Link, opened in August 2010 after many delays, connects the city centre to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan Province to the east. It is operated by the SRT, and offers services between the airport and Makkasan where it connects with Phetchaburi Station of the MRT. It terminates at Phaya Thai Station, where it connects to the BTS. Its eight stations span a distance of 29 kilometres (18 mi).
The SRT Red Lines, which opened in 2021 along with theBang Sue Grand Station, serve the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. It consists of two lines, theDark Red Line andLight Red Line.
| Line | System | Stations | Length | Terminus | Daily ridership | Began operation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial part | Last extension | ||||||
| Sukhumvit line | BTS Skytrain | 47 | 53.58 km (33.29 mi) | Khu Khot ↔Kheha | 910,866[5] | 1999 | 2020 |
| Silom line | 14 | 14.67 km (9.12 mi) | National Stadium ↔Bang Wa | 2021 (infill station) | |||
| Gold Line | 3 | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) | Krung Thon Buri ↔Khlong San | 8,091[5] | 2020 | – | |
| Blue Line | Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) | 38 | 47 km (29 mi) | Tha Phra ↔Tao Poon ↔Lak Song | 498,709[5] | 2004 | 2019 |
 Purple Line | 16 | 23.6 km (14.7 mi) | Khlong Bang Phai ↔Tao Poon | 76,171[5] | 2016 | – | |
 Yellow Line | 23 | 28.7 km (17.8 mi) | Samrong ↔Lat Phrao | 43,954[5] | 2023 | ||
 Pink Line | 30 | 34.5 km (21.4 mi[6]) | Nonthaburi Civic Center ↔ Min Buri | 2023 | |||
| Airport Rail Link | Airport Rail Link | 8 | 28.6 km (17.8 mi) | Phaya Thai ↔Suvarnabhumi | 76,097[5] | 2010 | – |
 Dark Red Line | SRT Red Lines | 10 | 26 km (16 mi) | Bang Sue ↔ Rangsit | 27,337[5] | 2021 | – |
 Light Red Line | 4 | 15 km (9.3 mi) | Bang Sue ↔Taling Chan | ||||
| Total | 238.95 km (148.48 mi) | ||||||
The entireMass 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.
New lines under construction are theOrange Line and an extension to thePurple Line and extensions to theAirport Rail Link.
| Line | Class (family[a]) | Image | Manufacturer(s) | Manufactured in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhumvit line Silom line | EMU-A1 (Modular Metro) |  | Siemens Mobility SGP Verkehrstechnik |  Austria Germany |
| EMU-A2 |  | Siemens Mobility Bozankaya |  Turkey | |
| EMU-B1 and EMU-B2 |  | CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles |  China | |
| EMU-B3 |  | CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles | ||
| Blue Line | EMU-IBL (Modular Metro) |  | Siemens Mobility | Austria |
| EMU-BLE (Modular Metro) |  | AustriaGermany | ||
| Airport Rail Link | ModifiedClass 360 (Desiro) |   | Germany | |
| Purple Line | S24-EMU (sustina [ja]) |  | Japan Transport Engineering Company |  Japan |
| Dark Red Line | 1000 series (AT100) |  | Hitachi Rail | |
| Light Red Line | 2000 series (AT100) |  | ||
| Gold Line | INNOVIA APM 300 |  | Bombardier Transportation CRRC Nanjing Puzhen | China |
| Pink Line | INNOVIA Monorail 300 |  | ||
| Yellow Line |  |
There are many types of stored-value cards according to passenger age. An Adult card is equivalent to full fare. An Elder card for over-65s provides a 50% discount. A Student card for under-23s provides a 10% discount. A Child card for under-14s (and under 120 cm tall) provides a 50% discount.
The fare rates are counted by the number of stations, starting from 16 baht for a station, increasing by 2-3 baht for each station up to 42 baht for 17 stations.[7]
This line uses the same stored-value cards asMRT Blue Line. Fares start from 15 baht for a station, increasing 1 baht for each station up to 29 baht for 15 stations.[8]
For passengers without cards, fares start from 17 baht for a station, increasing 2-3 baht for each station, reaching the maximum values at 42 baht for 11 stations.[9]
For the city line, the fare rates start from 15 baht for a station, increase 5 baht for each station up to 45 baht for 7 stations.[10]
BTS (not to be confused with theK-pop group) has its own stored value cards called "Rabbit card". There are 3 types ofRabbit card: adult, student, and senior, with 100 baht initial stored value.[11]
BTS fare rates start from 16 baht. The costs is based on the distance travelled. Travelling between Wongwian Yai - Bang Wa stations, On-Nut - Bearing stations costs 15 baht. 15 baht will also be added when travelling between these stations to the other station on the main line.
Bangkok is the location of theKrung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, the central rail hub for most long-distance trains as of 2023, as well as the olderHua Lamphong station, both operated by theState Railway of Thailand (SRT). From Bangkok, trains travel on theNorthern Line toChiang Mai, theNortheastern Line toNong Khai andUbon Ratchathani, and theEastern Line toAranyaprathet, and theSouthern Line, which terminates atSu-ngai Kolok and has a connection to Malaysia (the other Southern terminus isThonburi).
There are multiple plannedhigh-speed rail lines in Thailand. TheBangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway andDon Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway are under construction as of 2023. TheKrung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal will act as a future hub for all high-speed services.
Public transport systems inBangkok Metropolitan Region | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Railways |
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| Roads |
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| Buses |
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| Water transport |
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| High-speed rail | |
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| Commuter rail |
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| Rapid transit | |
| Monorail | |
| AGT,Light rail &Tram |
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| Bus rapid transit |
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