The Gold Line is an automated
people mover
A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...
line, part of
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
's
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
system. The line is 1.72 km long, consisting of 3 stations, and was opened by Thai Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha
Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; th, ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of Thailand since he ...
on 16 December 2020. It primarily serves as a feeder line between the BTS Silom line and
Iconsiam
Iconsiam, stylized as ICONSIAM, and ICS is a mixed-use development on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It includes one of the largest shopping malls in Asia, which opened to the public on 9 November 2018, as well as hot ...
shopping center. The line will be extended 1 km along Somdet Chao Phraya road to connect with the future
MRT Purple Line
The MRT Purple line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายสีม่วง) or MRT Chalong Ratchatham line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายฉลองรัชธรรม) is Bangkok's fifth rapid tra ...
southern extension. When completed, it will connect
Krung Thon Buri BTS station with Prajadhipok Road in
Thon Buri District
Thon Buri ( th, ธนบุรี, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. On the west bank of Chao Phraya River, it was once part of Thon Buri province. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bangkok Yai, Ph ...
for a total distance of 2.68 km.
The Gold Line is operated by
(BTSC) under a 30 year contract. The BTSC also operates the
BTS Skytrain. A flat fare of 15 baht is charged.
History
The line was not part of the current
M-Map Master Plan as the line was proposed by the owners of Iconsiam mall in July 2015 to provide a feeder service to Iconsiam. The project was approved by the Thai Cabinet in September 2016 with an initial planned opening of late 2018. Preliminary works began in June 2018 with major construction commencing in September 2018.
Design and development of the line was the responsibility of Krungthep Thanakom PCL, an enterprise of the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( th, กรุงเทพมหานคร; ) (BMA) is the local government of Bangkok (also called ''Krung Thep Maha Nakhon'' in Thai), which includes the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand. The governm ...
. The project budget of 3.8 billion
Thai baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-mos ...
was fully funded by the proponent of the project, shopping mall company
Siam Piwat who has responsibility for all construction costs. All advertising revenue and operating profits will be collected by
Siam Piwat Company during the 30 year concession period.
At the end of August 2020, overall work for the Gold Line was 95% complete. The line was due to open on 1 October 2020
and initial test runs began on 11 September. However, further test runs revealed that additional tests would be required of the signaling and operational systems before full operations could start. The President of the BTSC stated that a further two months of tests were required and that the line would not open until December 2020. In early December, an opening date of 16 December 2020 was announced. Upon opening, a one month free travel period was in effect until 15 January 2021.
Route
The Gold Line starts adjacent to
Krung Thon Buri BTS station running 500m east to Charoen Nakhon road, where it then runs north for 1.3 km past Iconsiam. It will initially terminate at Klong San station near Lat Ya road intersection and provide an interchange with the future
SRT Dark Red Line southern extension.
Future 1km extension
The line will then be further extended 1 km west along Somdet Chao Phraya road and terminate at Phrajahipok road to connect with the future
MRT Purple Line
The MRT Purple line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายสีม่วง) or MRT Chalong Ratchatham line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายฉลองรัชธรรม) is Bangkok's fifth rapid tra ...
southern extension, which is scheduled to open in 2027. The 1km extension was originally planned to open in 2023, but will now open in later years.
Services
Gold Line trains operate from 06:00 to 00:00 with a frequency range of six to twelve-minute intervals. During the free fare period for the first month of operations in January 2021, the line was averaging between 5000 to 6000 daily passengers with 3000 using Iconsiam station.
Rolling stock
The Gold Line uses Bombardier
Innovia APM
Innovia APM is a rubber-tired automated people mover system (APM) currently manufactured and marketed by Alstom as part of its Innovia series of fully automated transportation systems. The technology was introduced in 1963 by Westinghouse and ...
300 automated people movers with rubber tyres manufactured by CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems (joint venture of
Bombardier Transportation and
CRRC Nanjing Puzhen
CRRC Nanjing Puzhen () is a Chinese railway rolling stock manufacturer, based in Puzhen, Nanjing city. It is a subsidiary of CRRC. Nanjing Puzhen has supplied trains to Shanghai Metro Line 3 and Nanjing Metro in partnership with Alstom.
Ind ...
) in
Wuhu
Wuhu () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province, China. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River, Wuhu borders Xuancheng to the southeast, Chizhou and Tongling to the southwest, Hefei city to the northwest, Ma'ansh ...
,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
, China. Innovia APMs are commonly used at airports to transport passengers between terminals. Each set has two carriages with 138 passenger capacity in each carriage, and can travel at a maximum of 80 km/h.
The first set was due to be delivered in April 2020, but was delayed due to a COVID-19 related lockdown in Anhui province.
The first set later arrived in Thailand on 18 June 2020, the remaining 2 sets were delivered in August 2020.
File:Gold_Line_train_at_Krung_Thon_Buri_station.jpg, Bombardier Innovia APM 300 vehicle at Krung Thon Buri station
File:Gold Line APM at Krung Thonburi 01.jpg, APM vehicle approaching Krung Thon Buri station
File:Gold Line APM at Krung Thonburi 02.jpg, APM vehicle approaching Krung Thon Buri station
File:Bombardier Innovia APM 300 Gold Line Interior.jpg, Interior of Gold Line Bombardier Innovia APM 300
Stations
Line map
Network map
See also
*
Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan in Bangkok Metropolitan Region
*
MRT (Bangkok)
The Metropolitan Rapid Transit or MRT is a mass rapid transit system serving the Bangkok Metropolitan Region in Thailand. The MRT system comprises two rapid transit lines, with a further three lines (one rapid transit line and two monorail lines ...
*
MRT Blue Line
*
MRT Brown Line
The MRT Brown Line is a 22.1 km rapid transit line in Bangkok, Thailand proposed monorail mass transit line from Nonthaburi Civic Centre, Nonthaburi Province to Lam Sali intersection, Bang Kapi District. 20 stations are proposed for the lin ...
*
MRT Grey Line
The BMA Grey Line (Watcharaphon - Thong Lo) is a planned monorail line in Bangkok, Thailand. The route would provide a vital north - south link for a distance of 16.25 km with 15 planned stations and is expected to cost 27 billion baht. The l ...
*
MRT Light Blue Line
*
MRT Orange Line
*
MRT Purple Line
The MRT Purple line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายสีม่วง) or MRT Chalong Ratchatham line ( th, รถไฟฟ้ามหานคร สายฉลองรัชธรรม) is Bangkok's fifth rapid tra ...
*
MRT Yellow Line
The MRT Yellow Line is an elevated mass rapid transit line currently under construction in Bangkok and Samut Prakan Province, Thailand. The 30.4 km line will have 23 stations and cost 55 billion baht. The line was originally proposed in 2005 ...
*
BTS Skytrain
*
Sukhumvit Line
*
Silom Line
The BTS Silom line ( th, รถไฟฟ้า สายสีลม) or Dark Green line, is an elevated rapid transit line of the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL (BTSC), a subsidiary of BTS ...
*
Airport Rail Link (Bangkok)
*
SRT Dark Red Line
*
SRT Light Red Line
*
Bangkok BRT
The Bangkok BRT is a bus rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. Of five routes that were originally planned, only one line has been operating since 2010, with the other routes cancelled. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced the ...
*
BMA Bang Na-Airport Line
References
External links
Airport Rail Link, BTS, MRT & BRT network mapMRTA
{{Urban Rail Transit in ASEAN
2020 establishments in Thailand
Rapid transit in Bangkok
Railway lines opened in 2020