Transport Engineer Don Siridhara Digs Deep into Bangkok’s Rail Network [Season 3, Episode 71]

With the iminent opening of the MRT Blue Line extension, we sit down with Don Siridhara, a lecturer and transportation planning engineer, to geek out over Bangkok’s expanding rail network.

But first - you might want to consult this handy Google Map that Greg made as you listen that shows all future rail lines. It’s our first interactive show!

Don discusses why Bangkok’s first train line only opened in 1999, why it’s taken so long to get up to speed, the challenges of grafting a modern rail system on top of a 250-year old road network, what’s happening with the Taksin Bridge rail expansion, and why simply “adding more trains” to solve congestion isn’t as easy as it sounds.

We also discuss the story behind Bangkok’s two ‘ghost stations’, the holdup with the long-promised one-ticket system, the new Bang Sue rail terminal, and how maybe, just maybe, the old old rail depot along Phectchaburi Road will be turned into a sweet new park.

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