[sustran] Bangkok Transit System ('Skytrain')

[Craig Townsend]

>From the Bangkok Post, 22 November 1999 (for original text with maps &
photos go to http://bangkokpost.com/today/221199_News13.html)

"Questions hang over feeder routes"
It's only 14 days to the opening of the long-awaited skytrain. Will it
serve only people along its routes? Will it prove convenience for people
further out in the suburbs? This last of the five-part series looks at
these issues.

POONA ANTASEEDA and SUPOJ WANCHAROEN 

Chuchart Panburana, a 41-year-old civil servant and Silom native, loves the
skytrain and is ready to pay the distance-based fare of between 10 and 40
baht.

"The fare is reasonable. The most important thing is it helps save a lot of
time," he said. By train it will take him less than three minutes to travel
to his work in Ratchaprasong, instead of the usual 30 minutes by bus.

Mr Chuchart views the skytrain as a promising solution to Bangkok's
nightmarish traffic.

Reasonable fare, speed, and better service are often cited as reasons why
some people will switch from their existing method of transport to the
skytrain.

Decha Wilairat, 33, an engineering lecturer from Mahidol University, said
Bangkok's first commuter rail while more expensive than buses was still
cheaper than taxis and much faster.

The Bangkok Mass Transit System Corp, operator of the skytrain, has
projected a ridership of about 600,000 passenger trips a day. The service
will begin on Dec 5, the 72nd birthday of His Majesty the King, and will
operate from 6am to midnight.

To ensure the passenger target is reached, the operator has obtained a
15-year concession from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), the city
bus agency, to run 13 new bus routes to feed commuters from the suburbs
into the system.

A new company, Bangkok Transit Feeder Co, has been established to operate
175 air-conditioned feeder buses. The company was founded by Keeree
Kanjanapas, chief executive officer of Tanayong which is the majority
shareholder of BTSC.

The city bus agency will be paid 150 baht a day for each bus during the
first five years. After that the fee increases another 20%. Painted to
match the colours of the skytrain, the buses will run from 5am to midnight
starting from Dec 5. The fare will range from eight to 18 baht, similar to
that charged by the yellow Euro-II buses.

Mr Keeree expected the feeder system to boost the skytrain's potential to
attract riders. He predicted it could could reach as much as 700,000 trips
a day, much more than the projected 600,000 trips.

Mr Keeree said the feeder routes were needed because extension sections of
the 24km rail system were yet to be constructed. Three extension sections
are expected to be added later on, including: from Onnuj to Samrong in
Samut Prakan, from Taksin Bridge at the end of Sathon road to Wong Wian Yai
circle in Thon Buri, and from Mor Chit to Rangsit.

The city bus agency said, however, that the BTSC's feeder routes would
overlay 18 existing routes serviced by 135 minibuses, regular
air-conditioned and ordinary buses as well as 58 Euro-II buses and 47
microbuses.

BMTA director Yanyong Kurowat indicated that some existing bus routes
duplicating the feeder routes will be shortened to eliminate duplication.
On some routes, the number of the buses will be reduced.

Consumer rights protection groups were incensed with the BMTA's decision.
They said granting the concession to Bangkok Transit Feeder Co would put an
undue burden on consumers, especially the low-income people, forcing people
to use feeder buses or the skytrain system.

"The concession will leave the public with no choice but to use the BTS
feeder. What about low-income people who might want to take a short trip?
The fare of the feeder is much higher than the that for regular buses,"
said Saree Aongsomwang, secretary of the Consumer Organisation Federation
of Thailand.

Many other people want to know if there will be "park and ride" facilities
to allow suburban commuters wishing to use the rail service to park their
cars and ride on the train. Some of them said they are unlikely to leave
their cars at home and rely on the feeder buses to take them to the rail
stations.

They are in for a disappointment, however. Mr Keeree said the concept of
"park-and-ride" as operated in many countries could not be applied for the
skytrain system here because of the high cost of land and parking in Bangkok.

"The idea is impractical in Bangkok.

We think the linkage between the feeder and the system is the most suitable
way," he said.

Bunyawat Tiptap, the city's director of traffic and transportation, agreed
that park-and-ride would not be worth the investment in Bangkok.

"The problem would be an inadequate feeder system," said the director.

In planning traffic management and making the system easily accessible,
city officials have asked the police to determine the best locations for
taxi stands.Some bus stops will be relocated to prevent traffic congestion
near skytrain stations and to disperse human traffic from the station as
soon as possible.

This measure is expected to also help reduce air pollution around the
stations.

Deputy governor Banasopit Mekvichai said the city would have to erect taxi
stands and bus stops by dismantling some parts of the median strips,
especially on Sukhumvit, Phaya Thai and Rama I roads where traffic
congestion was already severe.

Taxi stands will be located far away from bus stops to prevent traffic
congestion. The stand locations were also designed for the convenience of
commuters of the subway which is expected to be operational in the year 2003.

"When the skytrain begins operation, taxis will have fixed locations to
drop off or pick up train commuters," said Mrs Banasopit.

Experts have warned, however, that ridership will suffer if there is a lack
of good management of the skytrain system in conjunction with the existing
bus system which should serve as the skytrain feeder.

"Without good management, the ridership of the skytrain could be as low as
10,000 trips an hour or only 100,000 trips per day," said Kumropluk
Suraswadi, deputy director of the Office of Megaprojects.

He said BTSC has the capacity of up to one million trips per day but its
problems lied with the feeder's capacity to handle the flow of people.

As the opening date of the skytrain is approaching, Mr Kumropluk said there
was little sign to show that the ridership projected by the BTSC would be
achieved.

"Where are the buses, the staff and the timetables? And will the feeder
duplicate the existing bus routes? And what will be the appropriate
concession fee?" asked Mr Kumropluk, suggesting that the matter be cleared
up urgently.

"Without the feeder the BTSC will unavoidably run into losses, similar to
the city bus agency and the microbus which will continue to suffer losses
without management improvement.

And people will continue to use their own cars." Mr Kumropluk also
questioned the BTSC's plan to buy 175 new buses to run in the 13 new feeder
routes. He said it was better to use existing buses in the BMTA fleet or
microbuses.

Assoc Prof Chakkrit Kanok-kantapong from the Department of Civil
Engineering, Prince of Songkhla University, who had studied the project,
said people were unlikely to use the system if they have to walk more than
300m.

He suggested that eventually the skytrain should be linked with the subway.
A management plan should be mapped out now so that the two systems would
help attract the public to using mass transit services, he said.

Otherwise it would be a wasted investment. 

________________________________________________
Craig Townsend
Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy
Murdoch University
South Street, Murdoch
Perth, Western Australia 6150

tel: (61 8) 9360 6293
fax: (61 8) 9360 6421
email: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au