Everyone knows that Bangkok’s roads are mad congested. Take a taxi there and a short 10 minutes ride can turn into a beastly 30 minute one if you get caught in the jam.
And trust me, you don’t want to get stuck in a traffic jam when you’re rushing for a flight. Been there, done that.
Luckily, Bangkok has a pretty efficient BTS train system which is connected to Suvarnabhumi airport.
But this is just one of Bangkok’s airports, and sometimes you might be flying off or arriving at Don Mueang Airport (DMK), which isn’t accessible by train.
So getting there or getting to your hotel from there can be a problem at times.
But perhaps, not anymore:
Thailand Will Build High-Speed Rail Linking The 3 Airports In & Around Bangkok
According to The Straits Times, Thailand has recently signed a public-private partnership yesterday (24 October).
It’s a whopping 224.5 billion baht (~S$10.1 billion) project which will link all three airports in and near Bangkok.
More specifically, it will link Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samutprakarn province and U-Tapao Airport in the eastern province of Rayong.
It sounds like a large scale project, which means that it’ll be decades before it’s actually built right?
Nope, not at all!
Expected To Begin Operations By 2024 & Will Make Several Stops
The project is expected to be built next year and begin operations as early as 2024. That really isn’t too long to wait!
It will span a total distance of 220km, while the trains can run at a maximum speed of 250km/h.
For comparison, a Japanese bullet train or Shinkansen can reach a speed of 320km/h. The train due to be built isn’t even a bullet train, so it’s considered pretty fast.
On the route from Don Mueang Airport, it’ll also make a couple of stops along the way, including the popular beach town Pattaya in Chonburi province.
Just imagine the sun, sand and sea a train ride away from the airport! No more switching multiple buses or having to spend money on airport transfers.
The train will then continue on to U-Tapao which is where the Thai navy’s First Air Wing and Thai Airway’s maintenance facility.
Project Is Expected To Generate About 650 Billion Baht In Economic Returns
You might be thinking, wah the Thai gahmen are so nice to think of all the tourists. Well that’s because the project is expected to generate around 650 billion baht in economic returns.
It will also create 16,000 jobs during the construction and more than 100,000 others in related business within the next five years.
The Straits Times has also reported that aside to this project which will link the three airports, another high-speed rail project is currently being constructed between Bangkok and the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, and will be open in 2023.
It’s Thailand’s first-ever high-speed rail project and is 253km long. The first phase will link Thailand and China via Laos and the second phase which is 335km long runs from Nakhon Ratchasima to the north-eastern province of Nongkhai bordering Laos.
Wahh, first the cold weather in Thailand and now this.
Time to plan many future trips to Bangkok!!
