Bangkok Blue Line expands passenger service with Siemens Mobility metro trains 

“Bangkok is a prime example of an urban center that has both required and benefited from its public transit growth. With more than 360,000 passengers per day riding the Blue Line, this project is set to not only improve availability, but also enhance the passenger experience. We delivered on time, supporting BEM with the growing mobility demand,” stated Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility. “The metro cars can carry more than 800 passengers and will help the city reach its goal of increasing urban transit riders from 40 percent of the population to 60 percent by 2021.”

With more than 8 million residents, Bangkok is the largest city in and capital of Thailand. It is also Asia’s sixth largest economy in terms of per capita income. With its continued growth, the city has put an increasing focus on enhancing its rapid transit system, including the expansion of the Blue Line, which originally opened in July 2004. Siemens Mobility provided turnkey solutions for the original line and then in 2017 was awarded the contract for the current expansion. In July, the Blue Line started passenger service on the first phase of this extension from Hua Lamphong to Tha Phra in honor of the king’s birthday, which was three months ahead of the contractually agreed schedule. Now, the Blue Line extends to Lak Song station. The line encircles many of the city’s core cultural and business districts.

The metro trains are an evolution of the ones used at the original Blue Line. They are being primarily manufactured in Vienna, Austria, and tested in Germany prior to being shipped to Thailand. They can operate up to 80 kilometers per hour. 

In addition to the Blue Line, which has been operating since 2004, Siemens Mobility also delivered the Skytrain and the Airport Rail Link. In 2016, Siemens Mobility received an order for 22 four-car metro trains to operate on the city's Green Line. Delivery of the first trains was in August 2018.