Bangkok is a million-plus city. Everyone who has ever rested in the Thai capital is well aware of traffic jams. Sometimes even buses stand motionless for several hours. The best way to quickly get from one point of the city to another is the Bangkok metro.
Features
Not so long ago, a huge metropolis was suffocating in constant traffic jams. But fourteen years ago, the metro was opened, which significantly unloaded the roads and allowed tourists to explore the main attractions of the capital, stacking in a couple of days. Bangkok metro map looks very simple. Unlike the usual Moscow metro with numerous intersecting lines, there are only three branches. Moreover, the underground of them is only one, the rest indicate a ground monorail and a separate line to the international airport. In general, these three lines form a single structure, connected by transitions and tunnels.
Currently, the metro serves more than two hundred thousand passengers daily, and the total length of the lines is almost thirty kilometers. The need for new stations is high, so work has been ongoing for five years to increase the length of the underground and ground metro. This line will be indicated in purple. The 2016 Bangkok metro map has already replenished with several new stations. The plans include the creation of a ring branch, which would simplify the movement along the underground lines.
Ground Metro: Green Line
The underground metro line stretches over all roads and highways, so the movement goes without delay and unnecessary obstacles. More than half of all Bangkok residents use this mode of transport . Tickets are purchased through special terminals located at all stations without exception. There are a lot of them, so the line of people who want to buy a ticket is never built. The terminals accept small coins, and paper money can always be exchanged at the cash desk.
On each ticket machine, a green line is schematically depicted, where the stations are circled with the price of the trip. The purchased ticket is actually a dense card on which the metro map of Bangkok is printed. This is very convenient and eliminates the possibility of getting lost. The card must be kept until the end of the trip.
Bangkok Underground: Blue Line
It is the blue branch in the near future will be transferred to the category of circular. Currently, it has three common stations with a monorail, which, if necessary, greatly simplifies the change. Tokens are used for the trip, they can also be bought through the terminals. Each depicts a metro map of Bangkok indicating stations, you can pay with coins and paper bills. For the convenience of tourists, the ticket machine switches from Thai to English. For one-time trips, black tokens are bought. And if frequent trips are planned, it will be more convenient to purchase a card, which can be replenished as necessary.
At the entrance to the station, there are policemen examining all the bags without exception. In addition, passengers must pass the scope of the detector.
Bangkok metro to airport: red line
The line to the airport is also a land line, so the chance of being late for a flight is equal to zero. Bangkok metro map shows that parallel to the red line is blue. This is also the metro to Suvarnabhumi, but only the train moves along the route without stops. Tickets are also purchased through the terminal. As on the green branch, machines accept only coins. Passengers can choose either a regular train or an express train. The fare for this will not change.
Subway opening hours and safety measures
Bangkok Metro is one of the safest in the world. Inside the stations, everything has been done for the convenience of people, and many stations are equipped with ramps for the disabled. Since floods often occur in the Thai capital, all outlets are flood protected and equipped with gateways. Glass doors are installed between the rails and the platform, which open only after the arrival of the train. During the time that has passed since the opening of the metro, it has not been recorded a single accident or terrorist act.
Bangkok metro stations work seven days a week. As early as six in the morning, the metro opens the door for the first passengers and only at twelve in the morning the work at the stations freezes. On weekdays, the train interval is two minutes, at rush hour the wait can last up to five minutes.
Many large stations have direct access to shopping centers. There is a metro circuit at each exit. In Bangkok, in Russian, you can find menus in restaurants or flyers of travel agencies, but you should not hope to find a metro map in your native language. All schemes are printed only in Thai, in rare cases, you can find a translation into English. If any of the tourists really needs the Bangkok metro scheme in Russian, then you can download it via the Internet or use the interactive translator.
Bangkok Metro Terms of Use
The rules for using the metro can be heard while on the train. They are advertised in Thai and English. In general, they are quite simple: it is forbidden to take food or carry drinks in the subway. Crushing and running on an escalator is also not welcome. All passengers try to get on and off the train, lining up in two rows, which prevents crowding and accidents during rush hours. Animals are strictly prohibited from entering the metro; they cannot get here even in a closed carrier.
Are there subway discounts?
Surprisingly, for many categories of people, the fare depends on growth. At each station there is a list of people who have discounts when buying a ticket. For example, children under 14 years old and less than ninety centimeters tall can ride the Bangkok metro absolutely free. And children of the same age with a height of more than one hundred and twenty centimeters are entitled to a fifty percent discount. Older people ride any public transport in the country for a free discount ticket.
Bangkok metro map with landmarks: green line
Some of the attractions of multi-million Bangkok are available for inspection immediately after leaving the station. The green branch consists almost entirely of different places that would be interesting for tourists. Let's try to highlight the most visited attractions of the Thai capital and the stations near which they are located:
This is the noisiest place in the city. Here are the main shopping centers of Bangkok and small shops. The station goes directly to the huge Siam Center shopping mall. Near the station there are several cinemas and famous book boutiques.
Leaving the metro station, you can get to the pier in five minutes. There tourists rent river buses and go on a trip along the river. The water offers great views of the numerous temple complexes in Bangkok. After a walk, many foreigners drop by the Oriental's restaurant, where for a little money you can try authentic Thai dishes made with the freshest produce.
Literally at the exit of the subway is one of the most beautiful temples in the city of Erawan Shrine. Some tourists take half a day to inspect it. A fifteen minute walk from the subway station is the observation deck of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, where you can also dine on the outdoor terrace or in any other restaurant above the seventieth floor.
The metro is the most convenient and fastest transport in Thailand, and a simple scheme allows even a novice tourist to navigate at the stations. Therefore, when you are going shopping or sightseeing in Bangkok, do not hesitate and boldly go down to the subway. This method of transportation will significantly save your time and give you new valuable experience.