On the anniversary of the King's 72nd birthday in December 1999, the revolutionary concept of electricallypowered mass transit finally hit Bangkok, a city long dependent on the noisy, noxious, internal combustion engine. Two short elevated lines, totaling 23.7 km of track, were built at a cost of 54.9 billion baht (about $1.3 billion). The narrow-gauge train, often only three or four cars long, glides over busy intersections, winds past office towers and allows curious commuters to ogle at the private estates, swimming pools and exclusive sports clubs below.
Siam Station is the heart and soul of the new system, arching high above the roar of thick vehicular traffic that rings Bangkok's central shopping district. The only place where the two Skytrain lines intersect, the station is dotted with tentative ventures by merchants not sure if the "sky" is the place to sell, but willing to give it a try, as nearly every other nook and cranny of Bangkok, including bridge underpasses and back alleys, have been thoroughly market-tested. Passengers can shop at an eyeglass store, a gold chain dealer, a convenience store and a mobile phone shop, and even sip coffee in a cafe perched on the platform, a familiar sight in cities like Tokyo but a novelty in Thailand.
The new system is not without its critics. The public is bitter about bloated budgets and endless delays (it took over two decades to build the system) caused by a long string of national leaders vying for a piece of the Skytrain contract, and angry that the train stops short of the suburbs. Newspaper editorials criticize the fact that the new train is too expensive for poor people to use.