Getting Around
Bangkok Airport Rail Link: Fares, Times and Where to Get Off
The Airport Rail Link is the cheapest way from Suvarnabhumi into Bangkok, and it never sits in traffic. Here is where to find it, what it costs, which stop to choose and when we would take a taxi instead.
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Quick Facts
- Cost
- 15 to 45 baht, 45 to Phaya Thai (checked October 2026)
- Hours
- 05:30 to 24:00, every 10 to 15 minutes
- Time Needed
- About 30 minutes to Phaya Thai
- Where
- Level B1, under Suvarnabhumi's main terminal
In this article
How Does the Airport Rail Link Work?
The Airport Rail Link is a train from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) into central Bangkok. It costs 45 baht to the end of the line at Phaya Thai, takes about 30 minutes and runs from 05:30 to 24:00. Checked October 2026.
The line covers 28.6 km and 8 stations, from Suvarnabhumi (A1) to Phaya Thai (A8). Every train stops at every station. A train comes every 10 to 15 minutes, so there is no timetable to plan around.
The point of the train is simple. It runs on its own elevated track, so Bangkok's traffic can't touch it. A taxi can take far longer at rush hour. The train takes about the same time at 8am as it does at 2pm.
For most first-timers from the UK, US and Australia, this is the right first ride, with one condition: your bags have to be light enough to carry up and down stairs.
Where Is the Airport Rail Link at Suvarnabhumi?
The station is on Level B1, the basement under the main terminal. After passport control, bags and customs, you come out on Level 2, the arrivals floor. Taxis and Grab are one floor down on Level 1. The train is below that.
Follow the Airport Rail Link signs down. As you bear right, the signs change to say City Line. Keep following them, it is the same train.
Two things sit on the way down. The exchange booths with the better airport rates (Happy Rich, Kasikorn Bank and SuperRich) are in the basement, to the left of the Rail Link entrance, with no signs of their own. If you need baht for the ticket machine, change a little there. Our guide to ATM fees and money exchange in Bangkok explains why the basement beats the booths by the arrivals exit.
If your phone isn't working yet, sort it before you go underground. The SIM desks are on Level 2, and our Thailand tourist SIM guide covers the eSIM option that saves the queue.
Airport Rail Link Fares and Tickets
Fares go up 5 baht a station:
- Lowest fare: 15 baht
- Makkasan: 35 baht
- Phaya Thai: 45 baht
- Luggage: no extra charge
Checked October 2026.
There are two ways to pay. The usual one is a token. Buy it from a ticket machine (switch the screen to English first) or from the staffed counter. The machine gives you a plastic token. Tap it to enter, and drop it in the slot at the exit gate at the other end. Keep it somewhere you won't lose it.
Since November 2025 you can also tap a contactless bank card at the gate, according to the line's map guide. Use a card your bank won't charge a foreign transaction fee on, and carry a little cash as a backup.
Phaya Thai or Makkasan: Where Should You Get Off?
Pick your stop by your hotel, not by the fare. The 10 baht difference won't matter. The walk at the other end will.
- Phaya Thai (45 baht): the end of the line. Change here to the BTS Skytrain for Siam, Sukhumvit and Silom. The BTS is a separate company, so you buy a separate ticket.
- Makkasan (35 baht): change here for the MRT Blue Line. The MRT station is called Phetchaburi and it is about 400 m on foot. The Blue Line serves Sukhumvit at Asok, Silom and Chinatown.
- Hua Mak: change here for the MRT Yellow Line. The connection is a long walk, so only use it if your hotel is on that line.
At Phaya Thai, the change to the BTS is where most people slow down. The BTS has its own machines and its own fares, which start at about 16 or 17 baht and rise with distance. Some BTS machines take coins only, so keep the change from the airport. One creator found the BTS did not take a debit card at the gate, and the Rabbit card that BTS regulars use needs your passport to buy. For one ride on arrival day, a single ticket from the counter is the simple answer.
At Makkasan, the MRT is easier to pay for. Creators report that a chip credit card such as Visa taps straight through the MRT gate.
If your hotel is near neither line, the train still helps. Ride to the nearest stop and take a short taxi from there, which skips the worst stretch of road traffic. If you have not booked yet, our guide on where to stay in Bangkok for first-time visitors favours areas close to a station for this reason.
Airport Rail Link or Taxi: Which Should You Take?
Take the train if you travel with a backpack or a carry-on and your hotel is near a BTS or MRT station. It is the cheapest and most predictable ride in. Creator Cal suggests the train for anyone solo or travelling light, and Tim Travel Taste puts it at about a tenth of the taxi price.
Take a taxi if you have two big cases, you are tired after a long-haul flight, or you land after the trains stop. The public taxi rank is on Level 1, between Gates 4 and 7. Take a queue ticket from the machine and walk to the bay with your number. Then expect to pay:
- the meter, which starts at 35 or 40 baht
- a 50 baht airport surcharge on top
- expressway tolls, which usually add up to about 100 baht and are paid by you
- possibly a small luggage fee
So the taxi's surcharge alone costs more than the whole train ride to Phaya Thai. That is the comparison we would keep in mind.
Grab picks up on Level 1 at Gate 4, outer curb, and the app shows the exact spot. If you would rather settle it before you fly, our Bangkok airport transfer guide compares taxis, ride apps and pre-booked transfers.
Is There Still an Express Train?
No. The express train stopped in September 2014. Since then there has been one service, the City Line, and every train stops at all 8 stations. Some older guides still mention an express platform. Ignore them.
The line is run by Asia Era One, which is changing its contract with the State Railway of Thailand from late September 2026. Nothing in that changes how you ride, but check the fares at the machine on the day. If something goes wrong, the operator's call centre is +66 2 091 1595.
Tips for Your First Ride
- Check the first train if you land early. The airport gives 05:30 as the start, while some creators say 06:00. If you clear customs before 6am, have a taxi plan ready.
- Avoid the city rush if you can. The BTS and MRT peak from 7 to 9am and 5 to 8pm. The Airport Rail Link isn't stuck in traffic, but the change at Phaya Thai or Makkasan is harder with a suitcase in a packed train.
- Expect stairs. Not every station has a lift or an escalator. One wheeled case is fine. Two per person is hard work.
- Keep the token until the exit. You need it to get out.
- Going to Khao San Road? The train doesn't help much. Bus S1 runs from Level 1, Gate 7 to Khao San from 06:00 to 20:00.
For more on how the BTS, MRT and boats fit together once you are in the city, see our guide on how to get around Bangkok without getting stuck.
Our Short Version
Light bags and a hotel near a train line: take the Airport Rail Link. Go down to Level B1, buy a 45 baht token to Phaya Thai for the BTS or 35 baht to Makkasan for the MRT, and you will be in the city in about half an hour. Heavy bags, a landing before 6am or a hotel far from a station: take a metered taxi from Level 1 and budget for the 50 baht surcharge and tolls.
Fares run from 15 to 45 baht and rise 5 baht a station. Makkasan costs 35 baht and Phaya Thai, the last stop, costs 45 baht. There is no luggage charge. Checked October 2026.
The airport's own page gives 05:30 to 24:00, with a train every 10 to 15 minutes. Some travel creators quote a 06:00 start, so check before you go if you land before 6am.
No. The express service stopped in September 2014. Every train now runs as the City Line and stops at all 8 stations, so ignore any old guide that tells you to look for the express platform.
Yes, and there is no luggage fee. The catch is the walk at the other end, especially the change to the BTS or MRT, and not every station has a lift. With two big cases, the taxi rank on Level 1 is the easier ride.
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Heavy Bags or a Late Landing?
If the train doesn't suit your arrival, a pre-booked transfer meets you at the airport and drives you to the hotel door. This is an affiliate link.
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