A second floor for the road

What if the road had a second floor? In the early 1990s, average speeds in central Bangkok dropped as low as 10 km/h. On 5 December 1999, Bangkok opened one for trains: the Skytrain, 12 metres above the road. Its pillars stand on foundations 50 metres deep. In July 2004, the city added a basement: a metro, 18 stations, all underground. Its entrances sit about 1.2 to 1.5 metres above the street, to keep floodwater out. If the water climbs higher, a one-metre barrier goes up. We tell you everything you need to know about Bangkok. Follow for more!

In the early 1990s, average speeds in central Bangkok dropped as low as 10 km/h. In December 1999 the Skytrain opened 12 metres above the road, and in July 2004 a metro opened underneath, its entrances raised to keep floodwater out.

• In the early 1990s, average vehicle speeds in central Bangkok dropped as low as 10 km/h (Railway Technology).
• The BTS Skytrain, Thailand's first elevated rapid transit system, opened on 5 December 1999 with two lines and 23 stations (Bangkok Post).
• Its viaduct girders stand 12 m above the road, on concrete foundations piled to a depth of 50 m (Railway Technology, 2000).
• The first section of the MRT Blue Line, Hua Lamphong–Bang Sue, opened on 3 July 2004: 20 km and 18 stations, underground for its entire route (MRTA).
• MRT station entrances are designed to sit some 1.2–1.5 m above ground level, a height based on 200 years of rainfall records, and each has a foldable one-metre “Stop Log” barrier for higher floods (MRTA, reported by The Nation, 2022).

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Sources:
– Railway Technology (16 February 2000, updated 23 October 2024): Bangkok Transit System: https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/bangkok/
– Bangkok Post, Thailand Journey timeline (5 December 1999): BTS opens its first rail; Bangkok residents welcome SkyTrain: https://thailandjourney.bangkokpost.com/timeline/1999/bts-opens-its-first-rail
– Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand: the MRT Blue Line, Hua Lamphong–Bang Sue section: https://www.mrta.co.th/en/chaloem-ratchamongkhon-line
– The Nation (9 August 2022): After Seoul video, MRTA assures Bangkok subway flood-proof: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018679

Facts and sources: https://soibysoi.com/episodes/a-second-floor-for-the-road

Not to scale: one cut-away shows the viaduct, its foundations and the metro together.
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