Bangkok’s MRT Purple Line sets new record in passenger numbers
More than 86,000 commuters used the Purple Line on June 28, in an unprecedented high attributed to link up with bus terminal
The MRT Purple Line, Bangkok’s fifth rapid transit line, saw more than 86,000 passengers on June 28, the last Friday of the month.
Witthaya Phanmongkol, acting governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), on Monday attributed this surge in passengers to the Khlong Bang Phai station’s link with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and Smart Bus terminal.
He said the new bus terminal began operating on June 16 and many commuters on the MRT Blue Line have been crossing over to the Purple Line at Tao Poon station to get to the bus terminal. Since the terminal began operating, the number of Blue Line commuters joining the Purple Line has risen by 7.02% or approximately 3,922 passengers per day.
Meanwhile, June 28 saw a record 86,636 passengers using the Purple Line, with as many as 9,856 passengers arriving and departing at the Talat Bang Yai station, he said.
Witthaya reckoned that the 20-baht flat fare implemented by the government on October 16 last year may also be the reason behind the surge in commuters.
He said the number of Purple Line passengers between October 16, 2023, and June 30 this year averaged 64,582 daily, up by 6,197 per day.
The 23-kilometre MRT Purple Line began operating on August 6, 2016, with 16 stations open for service. The Line runs from Khlong Bang Phai station in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district to Tao Poon station in Bangkok’s Bang Sue district. At Tao Poon, the line connects to the MRT Blue Line leading to Rat Burana.
