Airport Rail Link
Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link to Lat Krabang sign. Photo: Nutnano (Pixabay).
Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link and City Air Terminal
Suvarnabhumi Airport Express Rail Link and City Air Terminal have the objective to provide transportation service for passengers who wish to travel from downtown to the airport with more convenient, faster, and more flexible. This Rail Link system provides service at the speed of 160 kilometers per hour on an elevated platform parallel with the eastern railway, has a distance of 28 kilometers that goes through 8 stations
and passenger capacity of 14,000 to 50,000 passengers per day per direction.
Passengers who wish to travel to Suvarnabhumi Airport have 2 choices of service systems:
1. SA Express (Suvarnabhumi Airport Express) is an express electric train linking City Air Terminal-CAT, which is located at Makkasan Station, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, which only stops at both terminals. This line is 25 kilometers long and takes 15 minutes from one terminal to the other. There are 4 trains, each has 4 passenger cars.
2. SA City Line (Suvarnabhumi Airport City Line) is an electric train system that provides service in parallel with the SA Express. This line provides service between Phyathai Station, which is an interchanging point to BTS system and Suvarnabhumi Airport Terminal, which stops at 6 stations including City Air Terminal as well. This line is 28 kilometers long and takes no more than 30 minutes from one terminal to the other. There are 5 trains, each has 3 passenger cars.
Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link Train Stations
Rail System and Station consist of almost entirely elevated railway and station with the height of approximately 22 meters except for the section before entering Suvarnabhumi Airport, which will be at the ground level and will lower into the tunnel underneath Suvarnabhumi Station. The rail uses Standard Gauge system with the track width of 1.435 meters and speed limit of 160 kilometer per hour.
There are total of 8 stations:
- Phyathai Station
- Raiprarop Station
- Makkasan Station (CAT)
- Ramkhamhaeng Station
- Hua Mark Station
- Thab Chang Station
- Lat Krabang Station
- Suvarnabhumi Station
Facilities
Automatic Token Dispenser is designed to provide prepaid pass service and single trip token. Passengers can select destination and number of required token. The machine will then automatically calculate the fair and give out change as well as print out the receipt.
Every Airport Rail Link station has been installed with at least 2 automatic token dispensers. Number of automatic token dispensers in each station depends on station’s size. Automatic token dispenser at Airport Rail Link station is designed to calculate fair of a single passenger up to 5 passengers. The computer program will automatically calculate the fair, which passengers can use 1 baht, 5 baht, and 10 baht coins, or notes to purchase the token.
Facilities for Disabled People consists of special parking for disabled persons; especially Braille system and voice announcement indicating the floor for blind people. There is also as area allocated especially for disabled persons within the passenger car. Ticket distribution channel and access gate were also designed with the consideration of disabled people, the height and width is suitable for wheelchair access as well as various signs for the disabled persons, which are posted at a regular interval. Toilets, there are also toilets for disabled people on the Express Line and at the Makkasan Station, especially near shops and restaurants in the station area.
Parking
Car Park’s capacity of 300 cars at Makkasan Station
Fares
Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Rail Link fares start from 15 baht up to 45 baht, while Express’s fare is a flat rate of 150 baht.
More information: airportraillink.railway.co.th
-Thailand News (TN)
