The Canal Subway

Saen Saeb Boat (2016 Model):

Number: +70 boats

Cost: 10 to 20 baht/person

Speed: +30 Km/hr

Capacity: +100 people/boat

Horsepower: 360 to 400 HP

Coverage: 60,000 people/day

Boat Captain Salary: 20,000 baht/month

Material: Iron Wood (imported from Laos)

Roof: Canvas/Steel/Ropes

One of the innovative designs of Saen Saeb boat is how it allows for side-loading of passengers. The boat company was inspired by how London subway managed to load their passenger so quickly. Unlike any other boat types in Thailand, the company have since designed their boats to be very ‘boxy’ in cross section to prevent tipping over when side-loaded with passengers.

The decision to have the ticket collectors walk around the rim of the boats eliminates the need for a common corridor. The boat can now pack in more people per trip. There are two ticket collectors on each boat; one on each side; they are equipped with safety helmets in case of low bridges.

The canvas roof frame can be lowered using a hydraulic gear when faced with low bridges. The City of Bangkok designed these low bridges in the era of automobiles with little regards to how the canal transit might be affected. Older bridges in Bangkok, however, are designed so that boats could pass without having to lower to roofs.

Most of the boat engines originally started out from modified truck engines or even tractor engines. This is due to the availability of spare parts and machine shops that could fix them.

Improvised Boat Piers Popped Up Near Metro Train Station (Connecting it to the MRT)

Boat piers in Bangkok are movable. Sometimes the boat company just move the old one to a new location; more convenient for connection to MRT lines. Shown below is a newly built pier near the Metro rail station.

There are some accidental crisscrossing between canal lines and the Metro stations (see the map below); at these junctions, the boat operator could potentially build new "transfer stations" to the Metro lines.

Since both type of transit are essentially traffic-free, they tend to be extremely popular among commuters who wish to avoid the 2-hours traffic gridlock in Bangkok. As the city build newer Metro rail lines, we could see more of these types of hybrid connection between the canal and rail stations -- similar to the brain synapses.

The boats are due back into the maintenance shop each day for repair and tune-up work.