Skytrain rises above Bangkok, Thailand's traffic snarls
The elevated electric train system, working in conjunction with the subway and buses, is one way to get around a congested city.
Along with luxury hotels, Bangkok is known for traffic. Congestion, pollution and accidents got so bad that the city of about 9 million took drastic measures about a decade ago by opening an elevated electric train system (or Skytrain) which operates in conjunction with Bangkok's subway and buses.
There are just two Skytrain lines (and, for now, no access to the international airport, although that's expected by the end of this year or early next), but many stops are near major hotels and tourist sites. The Silom line curves between Saphan Taksin near the Chao Phraya River (where river taxis are available) and National Stadium. The Sukhumvit line cuts diagonally across the central business district from On Nut in the southeast to Mo Chit, home of the weekend Chatuchak market.
The two lines cross at Siam, a pulsating shopping and entertainment hub.
Skytrain is fast, safe, clean, air-conditioned and user-friendly (with information bureaus for tourists at the Siam, Nana and Saphan Taksin stations). Fares are calculated by distance but rarely cost more than about $1 in the city center. Single journey, day tickets and refillable passes are sold from machines in Skytrain stations.
Best of all, the views are terrific from the elevated tracks, and the Skybridges allow passengers to walk between the stations and nearby shopping malls without descending to the congested street.
Every first-time visitor to Bangkok ought to try a tuk-tuk, a motorized tricycle cab that is the city's signature mode of transportation. But given the heat, foul air and traffic, once is enough, especially when there's an alternative as good as Skytrain.
For information on Skytrain: www.bts.co.th/en.
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