MRT Purple Line train T013
Photo by Rsa (CC BY-SA 3.0)

MRT Subway

Lines, how to buy tickets & fares

VIEW ALL WAYS TO GET AROUND BANGKOK

The MRT Mass Rapid Transit or Bangkok subway is a quick, comfortable and cheap way to get around Bangkok.

Use the MRT to get to places as Sukhumvit, Chatuchak weekend market, Chinatown, Grand Palace and Wat Pho.

View the MRT Subway route map

The MRT connects to the BTS Sky Train at several stations and to the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi airport.

MRT Lines

Currently two lines are in service.

Blue Line
The Blue Line is of most interest to tourists, as it runs through the downtown area. Use this line to get to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Chinatown.

The line runs from Lak Song West of the Chao Phraya river to Tao Poon in North West Bangkok over a length of 60 kilometers. It connects to the Purple Line at Tao Poon station. The Blue Line serves nearly half a million passengers per day.

Purple Line
The Purple Line is mostly used by daily commuters. It runs from Tao Poon in North West Bangkok to Khlong Bang Phai West of Bangkok across the Chao Phraya river in Nonthaburi province over a length of 23 kilometers. About 70,000 people use the Purple Line trains per day.

MRT Route Map

The Blue Line of the MRT Subway.

Map of the Blue Line and Purple Line of the MRT Subway in Bangkok

MRT Blue Line & Purple Line
Click on the map to see the full version
Photo by User Zeddlex (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Connect to Sky Train and Airport Rail Link

The MRT subway connects to both BTS Sky Train and ARL Airport Rail Link. MRT tickets cannot be used on the BTS or ARL trains.

Connect to BTS Sky Train
The Blue Line connects to the BTS Sky Train at four stations:

MRT Sukhumvit to BTS Asok
MRT Silom to BTS Sala Daeng
MRT Phahon Yothin to BTS Ha Yaek Lat Phrao
MRT Chatuchak to BTS Mo Chit

Connect to Airport Rail Link
The MRT Blue Line connects to Airport Rail Link Makkasan station at MRT Phetchaburi station.

Buying tickets

You can either use tokens for a single trip or a pass for multiple trips on the MRT train. Tokens for a one-way trip can be bought at vending machine or the ticket office. Stored value cards and period passes can only be bought at the ticket office.

Ticket vending machines
Buying one-way tokens from the ticket vending machines is very straight forward.

First select English language. The screen displays a map with all the stations on the route. Press on the station where you want to go, the price is shown on the screen. Insert banknotes into the machine. Take your token and change.

One way tickets & multiple trip passes

Several tickets and passes are available. You can buy a single journey token, stored value card or period pass. Children under 14 years old and people over 60 travel for half price.

Single journey token
Use a single journey token to make a one-way trip. Fares vary from 15 to 40 Baht.

Stored value card
Use a stored value card to take multiple trips. The card costs 180 Baht (100 Baht travel value, 50 Baht deposit and 30 Baht fee). Cards can be topped up at the ticket office.

Period pass
Use a period pass for unlimited travel during a number of consecutive days. Three period passes are available.

1 Day pass at 120 Baht
3 Day pass at 230 Baht
30 Day pass at 1,400 Baht

Credit card payment

Instead of buying tokens, it is now possible to pay directly with a Visa or Mastercard Credit Card. Just scan the card at the reader.

Timetable

The trains run from 6 am until midnight. There is a train every 5 minutes during rush hour (6 to 9 am and 5 to 8 pm), every 10 minutes during the rest of the day.

Getting on the train

Walk towards the platforms and scan either a credit card or token on the turnstile, opening the barrier. If you use a token, do not throw it away, you will need it later.

The map on the train platform shows your current location. Find the station you are going on the map and check which side of the platform to wait for the train. Get off the train at your destination and walk towards the turnstiles. Insert the token into the slide of the turnstile, opening the barrier.