How long did the BTS take to build?

[simplelife 9]

Seems to me it must've been a massive undertaking, although I don't know much about what goes into building these types of projects. Anyone know how long it took?

[rowy 84]

You might find these links interesting:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTS_Skytrain

 

http://www.urbanrail.net/as/bang/bangkok.htm

[willow 312]

My first vist to BKK was in 1998 and something was being built then but I am not sure if it was the skytrain or an overhead road. The part of the skytrain that goes from On Nut east only opened a short time ago, it was build for a number of years before any trains were running on it.

[little_me 77]

Some of it was built in stages, and it's still be expanded on parts.

 

In 2004 was the first time in a long time that I visited Bangkok, and the first time I saw it.  I had been hearing about it for a while, and got a killer deal at the Shangrila hotel and stayed there, which was at the time at the end of the Silom line.  That line now crosses the river and goes pretty far over the other wide (I used to wonder WTF they were thinking having the trains change direction on a bridge, if there wasn't a more economical place to put those tracks, now I understand the plan was to cross the bridge and keep going).

 

Next trip there the MRT was open.

 

On Many trips I remember going down the expressway to the airport watching them building the towers for the skytrain to link all the way out to the airport. But that was Don Mueang, and I don't think they ever made it and apparently gave up, starting over going out to Suvarnabhumi instead now (which is complete).

 

The series of walkways under the tracks along Sukmuvit and Silom were also built gradually. in 2004 I at the Asoke station, I think you could go into Robinson directly from the platform, and on a couple other stations get to MBK and one or two other malls. Now that series of raised walkways and entrances to buildings on the second floor is creating a whole new level on that area of the city, quite literally, I find it quite facinating to explore every time I come visit and see how it's grown.  I keep hoping they'd extend a walkways from the NANA station up to the Soi 4 intersection.

[buttdart 45]

The Skywalk will essentially go from MBK all the way to Ploen Chit / Central Embassy soon.

[pom.michael 0]

Going back to the original question - for the first two lines opened on Dec 5th, 1999 - physical construction of the lines (piling work) was started as early as 1995/1996.  

They did the construction work in stages on Sukhumvit, Ploenchit, Rama 1, Phayathai Roads...

 

Here is another good site for Bangkok - http://www.2bangkok.com/

[little_me 77]

The Skywalk will essentially go from MBK all the way to Ploen Chit / Central Embassy soon.

But wouldn't it be cool if they built a walkway from the Nana station up to the corner and around it a bit, so that you can directly enter NEP on the 2nd or 3rd floor without going through the food cart / lady boy / tuk tuk circus between the NEP entrance and the sukhumvit intersection?

[The Motley Fool 20]

Going back to the original question - for the first two lines opened on Dec 5th, 1999 - physical construction of the lines (piling work) was started as early as 1995/1996.  

They did the construction work in stages on Sukhumvit, Ploenchit, Rama 1, Phayathai Roads...

 

Here is another good site for Bangkok - http://www.2bangkok.com/

 

I can tell you that construction started way earlier than that as I can remember some of the big supports being put in around 1989

[coyfarang 22]

I can tell you that construction started way earlier than that as I can remember some of the big supports being put in around 1989

 

Those were for a different project called Lavelin Skytrain and originally would have been where the MRT line is today.  The project was never completed due to political instability (shocking I know) and the economic collapse in Asia in the 90's.  When they started construction of the BTS they did end up reusing some of the existing structure.  

[pom.michael 0]

I knew that project as the Hopewell Project.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok_Elevated_Road_and_Train_System

 

Interesting that the present BTS Red Line will use a similar route of the old Hopewell line:-

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SRT_Red_Lines

[birdhaus 226]

Are there plans to expand the BTS or MRT networks?

[soi23 7]

Last trip to the immigration I noticed ,the Red Line well under construction  up to Don Mueang. Several stations were close to complete , and railway was up.