Bang Sue MRT…the end of the line
This is the final part I what has been a lengthy series covering the various stations connected to, initially, the BTS, or Skytrain, and, latterly, the MRT, or Bangkok underground transport system.
The MRT, which begins at the main Hualamphong railway station, ends at Bang Sue. That is, it ends at Bang Sue at the moment, since there are plenty of planned extensions, both to the BTS and MRT over the coming years.
There are no tourist attractions in Bang Sue and both the main standard railway station and the MRT are mainly used by locals who go into Bangkok for work and return later in the day or evening.
According to the MRT website, there are three recommended restaurants in the vicinity of Bang Sue which, presuming they are still operational as this is being written, could be well worth a visit.
The first is named Bella Casa and it is located just across the road from the MRT station and has what is termed an ‘all too relaxing atmosphere’.
Located on Thechawanich Road is a small coffee shop called the Little Moon Café. This place is popular with those in the morning and early afternoon, but closes at 4:00pm each day.
Some distance away from the station, on the ground floor of the Tao Poon Mansion, is a recommended small Vietnamese restaurant, which opens until 10:00pm and also serves Thai dishes.
For anyone who has taken the train from Hualamphong down to Butterworth in Malaysia and comes back from there by the overnight sleeper, it’s not uncommon for the train to be running well behind time when getting back into Bangkok. If you don’t want to wait until finally terminating once more in Hualamphong, it’s worth noting that you can disembark at Bang Sue Junction station, and simply walk a few metres to the entrance of the Bang Sue MRT and take the underground. This is especially useful if you are not going to be staying in Bangkok; for example, if you were on your way to Pattaya, you could get off at Bang Sue, take the MRT to Asok and then connect with the BTS to Ekkamai and catch the bus down to Pattaya.
As to the future, there are planned extensions to the MRT which will include lines and stops out to Tao Poon and under the Chao Phraya River and out to Sirindhorn on the Thinburi side before eventually making a full circle via Tha Phra and Wang Burapha back to Hualamphong.
Of course, these extensions will not be completed and be fully functional for quite some time yet.
