Chao Phraya Express Boat
Encyclopedia
The Chao Phraya Express Boat is a transportation service in Thailand
that operates on the Chao Phraya River
. It provides riverine express transportation between stops in the capital city of Bangkok
and to Nonthaburi
, the province immediately to the north. Established in 1971, the Chao Phraya Express Boat Company serves both local commuters and tourists. It also offers special tourists boats and a weekend river tour boat, as well as making boats available for charter. Among the world’s great commuter boats, it holds a particular place. Not only for its success in moving large numbers of passengers in a city whose roads are generally criticized for their traffic jams (These boats, along with BTS Skytrain and Bangkok Metro
are only methods that can absolutely avoid traffic jam in peak hours on weekdays when people go in and out of city for their workings.), but also for the beauty of the fleet of graceful wooden boats, which is rarely found in today's world of water transportation. Thai culture recognizes four great principles; Suay (beautiful), saad (clean), sanook (fun), suparp (appropriate). These boats meet all four criteria. Their beautifully clean lines speak for themselves but they are also entirely appropriate to their function and, as any Bangkok tourist will confirm, they are great fun to ride.
The 21 kilometres (13 mi) route is served by 65 boats and operates from 6:00 am to 7:30 pm (Last departure from CEN-Sathorn pier by a yellow-flag boat) in weekdays and from 6:00 am to 6:40 pm in weekends and holidays. Current prices are from 9 baht (Local line for distance within one zone) to 30 baht (for green-yellow flag trip on its entire route from Pakkret to Sathorn), depending on the type of boat and the distance travelled. The river boats carry an average of about 40,000 passengers per day.
and Rat Burana
district of Bangkok. Sathon pier in Sathon
district provides a connection to the BTMS Skytrain
.
.
All seats on board all boats have individual life jackets and there are some floating loops around the boat that can be used in case of emergency.
Most boats are powered by Cummins
NT 855 engines rated at 268 kW (360 HP) while some boats are also powered by Volvo Penta
engines with the similar power rating. Engines are connected to ZF
1RM gears with 2:1 reduction
before the power is delivered to the propeller. Most of them are powered by Diesel Fuel while some of them are upgraded to Natural Gas
fuel systems. Chao Phraya Express Boat company prefers to choose Cummins
engines because Cummins has a combination of availability and reliability. Thailand’s Cummins distributor, Diethelm & Company Ltd. handles the rebuilds and the engines just keep on.
"Wood is the best" is Chao Phraya Express Boat's motto
on building boats, while this is the time for fiber glass and iron
boats.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
that operates on the Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city, and then empties into the Gulf of Thailand.-Etymology:...
. It provides riverine express transportation between stops in the capital city of Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and to Nonthaburi
Nonthaburi Province
Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom....
, the province immediately to the north. Established in 1971, the Chao Phraya Express Boat Company serves both local commuters and tourists. It also offers special tourists boats and a weekend river tour boat, as well as making boats available for charter. Among the world’s great commuter boats, it holds a particular place. Not only for its success in moving large numbers of passengers in a city whose roads are generally criticized for their traffic jams (These boats, along with BTS Skytrain and Bangkok Metro
Bangkok Metro
The MRT , sometimes referred to as the Bangkok Metro, is Bangkok's underground metro system in Thailand. It was constructed under a concession concept...
are only methods that can absolutely avoid traffic jam in peak hours on weekdays when people go in and out of city for their workings.), but also for the beauty of the fleet of graceful wooden boats, which is rarely found in today's world of water transportation. Thai culture recognizes four great principles; Suay (beautiful), saad (clean), sanook (fun), suparp (appropriate). These boats meet all four criteria. Their beautifully clean lines speak for themselves but they are also entirely appropriate to their function and, as any Bangkok tourist will confirm, they are great fun to ride.
The 21 kilometres (13 mi) route is served by 65 boats and operates from 6:00 am to 7:30 pm (Last departure from CEN-Sathorn pier by a yellow-flag boat) in weekdays and from 6:00 am to 6:40 pm in weekends and holidays. Current prices are from 9 baht (Local line for distance within one zone) to 30 baht (for green-yellow flag trip on its entire route from Pakkret to Sathorn), depending on the type of boat and the distance travelled. The river boats carry an average of about 40,000 passengers per day.
Route
The river boat service runs between Pak Kret district of NonthaburiNonthaburi Province
Nonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom....
and Rat Burana
Rat Burana
Rat Burana is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by Amphoe Phra Pradaeng of Samut Prakan Province, Thung Khru, Chom Thong and Thon Buri districts of Bangkok while its north to east is Chao Phraya River with Bang Kho Laem and Yan Nawa districts across the...
district of Bangkok. Sathon pier in Sathon
Sathon
Sathon or Sathorn is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by six other districts : Bang Rak, Pathum Wan, Khlong Toei, Yan Nawa, Bang Kho Laem, and Khlong San ....
district provides a connection to the BTMS Skytrain
Bangkok Skytrain
The Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS Skytrain , is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited under a concession granted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration...
.
Boats
Chao Phraya Express boats operates mainly two types of boats; all of them are built mainly by woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
.
- Single-screw boat: They are able to hold around 90-120 people at the same time. It is around 26-32m long, depending on the amount of wood in the time it is built, and about 2.7m wide. Area on the back of the boat (painted yellow on the floor) is normally restricted only for embarking/disembarking passengers, but some people like to stand there when the boat is highly crowded. There are two 2-step stairsStairs-People:* Scott Kannberg , guitarist of Pavement* A. Edison Stairs , New Brunswick politician* Denis Stairs , engineer, Montreal businessman* Ernest W. Stairs , New Brunswick politician...
on each side of boat connecting the yellow pad on the back to the passenger area inside the boat, while the middle area between those stairs is non-functioning on-board toiletToiletA toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
. The engine room with the appearance of large wood box, is located inboard in the center line of the boat before the seating area, which is two on the left and another two on the right and an aisle passing in the middle. On the later-built boats, the roof over the engine room till the middle section of the boat is raised higher for extra headroom because most standing passengers on crowded boats are standing there, and this design will apply with all another boats that will be built later in company's shipyards in BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and AyutthayaAyutthaya (city)Ayutthaya city is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. Located in the valley of the Chao Phraya River. The city was founded in 1350 by King U Thong, who went there to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya...
. This type of boats operate all no-flag, orange-flag, and green-yellow flag trips. This also serves off-peak direction trips of yellow-flag routing. The fleet has about 43 boats of this type in service. - Twin-screw boat: Holds around 120 to 180 people. These wooden boats are as dramatic in appearance as the most rakish modern catamarans. Unlike the single-screw boat, the boat driver is in its small pod above passenger deck, similar to a cockpitCockpitA cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
on board a Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
airliner, giving views for passenger in the frontmost row and a public access to the boat's front deck for person who desired to watch a view from the boat's front without any obstruction (except Thai national flag). It is about 30-40m long and about 5-7m wide. Unlike a single-screw boat, it has seating area entire the boat, while most seating is in front of engines. Engine rooms are placed lower than those single-screw, and some passengers prefer to sit on it when it is crowded. There are 8 seats behind each engines. There are two aisle in the seating area in front of engines and 3 aisles behind the engines. There are two toilets, one on the port and another on the starboard, located in front of each engine. It serves as yellow-flag express boats in peak hours, and serves as tourist boats in off-peak hours. The fleet has about 14 boats of this type in service.
All seats on board all boats have individual life jackets and there are some floating loops around the boat that can be used in case of emergency.
Most boats are powered by Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
NT 855 engines rated at 268 kW (360 HP) while some boats are also powered by Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta was founded in 1907 in conjunction with the production of the first marine engine, B1. The Penta company soon became an established internal combustion engine manufacturer, which in 1927 delivered the engine to Volvo's first passenger car....
engines with the similar power rating. Engines are connected to ZF
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
1RM gears with 2:1 reduction
Reduction drive
A reduction drive is a mechanical device to shift rotational speed. A planetary reduction drive is a small-scale version using ball bearings in an epicyclic arrangement instead of toothed gears....
before the power is delivered to the propeller. Most of them are powered by Diesel Fuel while some of them are upgraded to Natural Gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
fuel systems. Chao Phraya Express Boat company prefers to choose Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
engines because Cummins has a combination of availability and reliability. Thailand’s Cummins distributor, Diethelm & Company Ltd. handles the rebuilds and the engines just keep on.
"Wood is the best" is Chao Phraya Express Boat's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
on building boats, while this is the time for fiber glass and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
boats.
Lines
- Local Line: runs between Nonthaburi and Wat Rat Singkhon districts in Bangkok (Rush hours only).
- Blue Flag Line: This service runs between Nonthaburi and SathonSathonSathon or Sathorn is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by six other districts : Bang Rak, Pathum Wan, Khlong Toei, Yan Nawa, Bang Kho Laem, and Khlong San ....
districts in Bangkok. At Sathorn pier is an interchange, where passengers may change boats or change their transportation to ferry, longtail boat, BTS Skytrain and bus. - Orange Flag Line: runs between NonthaburiNonthaburi ProvinceNonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom....
Province at the north end, and Rat BuranaRat BuranaRat Burana is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by Amphoe Phra Pradaeng of Samut Prakan Province, Thung Khru, Chom Thong and Thon Buri districts of Bangkok while its north to east is Chao Phraya River with Bang Kho Laem and Yan Nawa districts across the...
district in Bangkok at the south end (Daily all-day service). The fare is 13 Thai Baht. - Yellow Flag Line: runs between NonthaburiNonthaburi ProvinceNonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom....
and Ratburana districts in Bangkok (Rush hours only). (3 trips in the morning of holiday period from Nonthaburi to Sathorn, and 3 trips in the evening from Sathorn to Nonthaburi, served by large boats that also serves as tourist boat) - Green-Yellow Flag Line (Rush hours only; only line that goes further north from Nonthaburi Pier)
- Tourist boat (Serves Sathorn (CEN), Oriental (N1), Si Phraya (N3), Rachawongse (N5), Memorial Bridge (N6), Tha Tien (N8), Maharaj Pier (Special pier; adjacent to Wat Phra Kaeo and Grand Palace), Wang Lang (N10), and Phra Athit (N13). After that it circles back down along the same path to Sathorn pier) It services from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM daily
Piers
- N33 Pak Kret (Served only by green-yellow flagged boats on peak time)
- N32 Wat Klang Kret (Served only by green-yellow flagged boats on peak time)
- N31 Ministry of Commerce (Served only by green-yellow flagged boats on peak time)
- N30 Nonthaburi (Phibun Songkhram 3) - a large market of the city (Terminal pier for all lines, except a green-yellow flag)
- N29 Phibun Songkhram 2 - Rama V Bridge and Wat Nakhon In
- (N29) Rama V bridge (Thonburi bank): Newly built pier; served only by orange flagged boats
- N28 Wat Khian (Served only by local boat (No flag); Orange flag serves on off-peak hours)
- N27 Wat Tuek (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N26 Wat Khema (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N25 Phibun Songkhram 1 (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N24 Rama VII Bridge (Thon Buri Bank)
- N23 Wat Soi Thong (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N22 Bang Pho
- N21 Kiakkai - Military venue at the northernmost of Samsen Road
- N20 Khiao Khai Ka (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N19 Department of Irrigation (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N18 Phayap - Access to northern section of Sam Sen Road
- N17 Wat Thep Nari (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N16 Krung Thon Bridge
- N15 Thewet - Flower market and Vietnamese community
- N14 Rama VIII Bridge - Bank of ThailandBank of Thailand- History :The Bank of Thailand was first set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau. The Bank of Thailand Act was promulgated on 28 April 1942 vesting upon the Bank of Thailand the responsibility for all central banking functions...
(Served only by local boat (No flag)) - N13 Phra Athit - Khao San Road and Bang Lamphu clothing market
- N12 Phra Pin Klao Bridge - Close to the Southern Bus Terminal
- N11 Thon Buri Railway - Terminal of SRT Western line (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N10 Wang Lang (Siriraj) - Siriraj HospitalSiriraj HospitalSiriraj Hospital is the oldest hospital in Thailand, located in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan campus...
and ladies market - N9 Tha Chang - Grand Palace, museums and universities quarter
- N8 Tha Tian - dried seafood market and notable temples
- N7 Rachini - 24 hour flower market (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N6 Memorial BridgeMemorial Bridge, BangkokThe Memorial Bridge is a bridge over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, in Thailand, connecting the districts Phra Nakhon and Thonburi.The bridge was opened on 6 April 1932, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Chakri Dynasty...
- Little IndiaPhahuratPhahurat or Pahurat , often known as Thailand's Little India, is an ethnic neighborhood surrounding Phahurat Road in Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. The area that would become Phahurat was an enclave of Vietnamese immigrants who came to Siam during the reign of King Taksin...
and night market, ferry to Portuguese community - N5 Ratchawong - ChinatownChinatownA Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
- N4 Marine Department
- N3 Si Phraya - Close to Portuguese and French embassies
- N2 Wat Muang Khae (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- N1 Oriental - Old Westerner quarter
- CEN Sathon (Taksin Bridge) - Interchange and terminal of BTSBangkok SkytrainThe Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS Skytrain , is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited under a concession granted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration...
Silom line; (terminal pier of peak-direction yellow flag boats and green-yellow flag boats, and also tourist boat) - S1 Wat Sawettrachat (Served only by local boat (No flag))
- S2 Wat Worachanyawat
- S3 Wat Rat Singkhon (Terminal pier for local boat (No flag) and orange-flagged boats)
- S4 Rat Burana (Big C) - Terminal pier for counter-peak direction yellow-flagged boats (generally smaller boats than peak direction)
External links
- Chao Phraya Express Boat site
- Chao Phraya Express site at transitbangkok.com
- The Mass Transport Boats of Bangkok (Chao Phraya Express) (Photos)
- http://marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/Chao-Phraya-Express-Boat-Company-Wood-Still-The-Best/317296.aspx
- Chao Phraya Express Boat Map, MRTA, BTS, Airport Rail Link
