Governor of the State Railway of Thailand Youdtana Tupcharoen has confirmed that the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link would be open on a commercial basis on 23 August 2010.

The Airport Rail Link is a rapid transit line from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan, via Makkasan city air terminal, to Phaya Thai station in central Bangkok. It provides fast and convenient transport service for passengers wishing to travel from downtown Bangkok to the airport. This system, covering a distance of 28 kilometers, runs at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour on an elevated platform parallel with the eastern railway. The Airport Rail Link consists of two service systems: the City Line and the Express Line.

The City Line offers service within 30 minutes between Phya Thai station and the terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport. It stops at eight stations, namely Phaya Thai, Ratchaprarop, Makkasan, Ramkhamhaeng, Hua Mak, Thap Chang, Lat Krabang, and Suvarnabhumi. In the initial stage, tickets will cost only 15 baht per trip. The City Line has five trains; each train has three passenger cars with the capacity of 745 passengers per train for the 24-hour service.

The Express Line provides transport service within 15 minutes from Bangkok City Air Terminal at Makkasan to Suvarnabhumi Airport. There are in total four trains providing services on this line. Each train has three passenger cars, which have 170 passenger seats, and one baggage car. It provides service from 06.00 to 01.00 hr, with a fare of 100 baht per trip.

The Governor of the State Railway of Thailand said that the baggage check-in system developed by the State Railway of Thailand and Airports of Thailand for Makkasan station will be ready for full operation by the end of this year.

This new route will be the fourth rapid transit line in Bangkok, after two BTS lines and one MRT line. All these systems will link with one another, which will substantially enhance the convenience of visiting and living in Bangkok.

The Government opened Suvarnabhumi Airport to be Thailand’s gateway and regional air communication center in September 2006. To complete the service of Suvarnabhumi Airport to an international level, the Government considered that there should be an express rail system linking the downtown area of Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Then it allowed the State Railway of Thailand to hire a consulting firm to study the feasibility of project for allowing private participation in the investment of the Phya Thai – Makkasan - Suvarnabhumi Airport railway project.

The Cabinet in June 2004 entrusted the State Railway of Thailand with constructing the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link and City Air Terminal project with a budget of 30 billion baht.

Now the Airport Rail Link is due to open on August 23. This will also help promote tourism, as passengers will also enjoy views of Bangkok and its suburbs along the way.