Good link comes to a dreadful halt
Having been back in England on a business trip, upon my return to Bangkok I thought I would try the new airport link that has been the subject of such derision and now has been supposedly given much needed attention by "Mr Airport Link".
I decided to catch the direct service to Makkasan Station, having seen the rather utilitarian plastic seats of the City Line service to Phya Thai, and for the fact that the Makkasan service was leaving in two minutes and the City Line in 17 minutes; a decision that I would subsequently lament.
The service left promptly and the train was of equal comfort to the Heathrow Express in England, which I had used the previous day. The ride was smooth and the journey extremely swift; certainly the experience thus far was world class. That was to change dramatically.
On alighting from the train at Makkasan Station, I saw I was amongst three other passengers who quickly disappeared. As I had a suitcase, hand luggage and a laptop bag, I had to use the lift. When I reached the ground floor, I emerged into a large soulless void bereft of any signage as to what to do. I presumed that I had gone to the wrong level, and went up a floor to discover a meeting room and lavatory, so returned to the emptiness below. I ventured a bit further this time, and in the vast corridor I was walking down saw a piece of A4 paper stuck to the wall which read “taxi” and an arrow pointing along the corridor. This I followed and found myself among a hoard of commuters coming down the escalators from the City Line.
I followed the throng out of the building and, indeed, there was one lone taxi which all the commuters marched swiftly by. I was soon to find out why. The driver declined to use the meter and quoted Bt250 to take me to Sathorn. When I took out a piece of paper and started to write down the cab licence number, he threatened me. I walked off into the barren wasteland that is the environs of Makkasan Station. I saw another lone taxi in the distance and enquired, but the answer was the same. Eventually, after a considerable walk, I managed to hail a meter taxi on Phetchaburi Road.
All I can say is that if this is the new improved service, then I cannot imagine what it was like before. What is undeniably a very good link from the airport comes to a crashing and horrific halt at Makkasan Station. I will certainly never use it again and shall tell all not to do so. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.
John de Laurent
Bangkok
