Bangkok has seen a remarkable expansion of its public rail transport system over the last decade. In 2014, there were just four lines These include two overground metro lines (BTS), one metro line (MRT) and the Airport Express line operated by the state railway company SRT. Today, there are 9 linesincluding a monorail, representing more than 275 km of network. As well as a new central station.
Work is continuing on 3 to 4 new lines and expansions metro, monorail and commuter trains. What's on the horizon 2030 will enable the Thai capital to benefit from a network of almost 550 km…
A plethora of new routes and fares
Quite a remarkable performance. Except that there are two major obstacles. Prohibitive prices due to disability different urban rail transport systems to introduce a unified ticket and tariff. For example, if a journey requires three changes, you have to buy three different tickets. And pay an average of THB 100 to THB 200 (or €2.65 to €5.30).
This price does not seem very high compared with certain European cities, New York or Tokyo. However, it is out of all proportion to an average salary that rarely exceeds 600 euros in the Kingdom's capital. A Bangkok resident would therefore spend around 15% of their monthly salary on the daily "metro-work-sleep" formula.
This price is so high thatfor two people or more, it is generally cheaper to take a taxi. This also explains the almost permanent traffic jams in the city. With a relatively high level of pollution.
According to the IQAir website, which each year calculates fine particle pollution levels for nearly 8,000 destinations around the world, Bangkok has a rate of 21.7 microscopic particles (PM2). This is three or more times higher than the standard set by the WHO. By comparison, the rate in Singapore is 13.4, in Paris 10.3 and in London 8.4...
A single price and a single ticket in 2025 or 2026
Since thehe return of a civilian government in business in 2023, one of the priorities is to lower ticket prices on all rail routes in Bangkok with a maximum price set at 20 Baht (€0.53). For the moment, the measure is only being applied halfway on two lines, the metro's violet line and Thai Rail's red line. Unfortunately, these two lines are of little interest to foreign travellers.
Le Minister for Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit recently announced its intention to extend the 20 Baht à two new lines next year (including the blue line of the metro, which is very popular with visitors) before extending this price to all rail lines. This should be effective in 2026.
The most difficult thing will be to apply it to the BTS aerial metro, which is entrusted to a private company and whose licence the government would have to buy back.
But the Minister is optimistic. He also announced thata common ticket for all rail services is due to be introduced at the end of next year. We've been talking about it for years. But none of the companies managing public transport has taken the first step. And there's a simple reason for this. None of the companies has agreed on how the revenue from such a ticket should be shared or how it should be financed! And the Thai government seems to have little interest in getting involved in this squabble.
However, according to the Ministry, such a measure would speed up the application of the single maximum fare of 20 Baht. This would represent a huge saving not only for local residents but also for visitors to the Thai capital.
The initiative would be a breath of fresh air for Bangkok. In addition to the 20 baht fare, the government is now consideringintroduce a congestion charge for cars in the city centre. Following the example of London and Singapore.
