Operational and upcoming airport rail connections-

Direct and high speed railway links to city airports help passengers travelling by air as well as rail. With today’s interconnected global economy and an increasing number of air passengers in Southeast Asia, airport–rail connectivity is a segment that is seeing rapid growth. Southeast Asia Infrastructure  presents a snapshot of operational, under-construction, and planned airport rail links (ARLs) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

Operational projects

Kuala Lumpur (KL) Express Rail Link, Malaysia

The rail link extends 57 km from Kuala Lumpur Sentral Railway Station (KL Sentral) to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and 59.14 km from KL Sentral to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA-2). The service from KL Sentral to KLIA commenced in 2002. A 2.14 km extension opened along with KLIA-2 in May 2014. The two types of rail services available are the following.

  • The KLIA Ekspres provides a non-stop, direct train service from KL Sentral to KLIA (end-to-end journey time of 28 minutes) and a direct train service from KL Sentral to KLIA-2 with one stop at KLIA (end-to-end journey time of 33 minutes).
  • The KLIA Transit provides two transit train services – first, with stops at three stations – Bandar Tasik Selatan, Putrajaya/Cyberjaya, and SalakTinggi – and the last stop at KLIA (end-to-end journey time of 36 minutes), and second, with four stations – Bandar Tasik Selatan, Putrajaya/Cyberjaya, SalakTinggi, and KLIA – and ending at KLIA-2 (end-to-end journey time of 39 minutes).

The average daily ridership of the KLIA Ekspres and the KLIA Transit is about 19,000 passengers (July 2014). By September 2005, the rail links had transported 10 million passengers. By 2012, the tenth year of their operations, the links had transported over 40 million passengers. In March 2014, they crossed the 50 million passenger mark.

An extension of the rail links to Seremban and Malacca has been proposed to serve passengers outside KL. The MYR 8 billion project will involve the purchase of new train sets, construction of new lines, and installation of communication and signalling systems. Depending on the route of the alignment, the KLIA–Seremban stretch could be about 45 km long, and the section from Seremban to Malacca could be another 45 km to 55 km in length.

Singapore mass rapid transit (MRT)

The East–West MRT Line (Green Line) extends 49.2 km east to west through the city centre with a branch line from Tanah Merah (interchange station) to Changi Airport. The line covers 35 stations in all. It is currently the longest train line in operation in Singapore and consists of a mix of underground and above-ground stations. The average travelling time between Tanah Merah and the Changi Airport MRT station is seven minutes.

The Changi Airport MRT station (CG2) is located between Terminals 2 and 3. The station has fare gates at the same level as the platform. It is the easternmost station on the MRT network and has the widest platforms of any underground MRT station in Singapore.

The Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2013 proposes the doubling of the MRT network to 360 km by constructing two new lines and extending three existing ones. Of this, the 50 km Cross Island Line will connect Changi Airport with Sin Ming and the Jurong Industrial Estate by 2030. The line will provide an alternative route to the current East–West Line and will serve as a key transfer line by providing a connection to all the other major lines, and hence will work in conjunction with the orbital Circle Line.

Manila light rail transit (LRT) Line 1, Philippines

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport is indirectly connected by the Manila LRT Line 1 (Yellow Line) through its station at Baclaran. Line 1 (Yellow Line) is elevated and spans 15 km covering 20 stations. It serves the Taft Avenue–Rizal Avenue route between Baclaran, Pasay City, and the Bonifacio Monument in the City of Caloocan.

In 2012, Line 1 recorded a total ridership of 170.72 million passengers.

As part of the LRT Line 1 South Extension Project, also known as LRT 6, the Manila International Airport (MIA) LRT station is proposed to be built in Parañaque.

Bangkok ARL, Thailand

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link (SARL) is a 28 km elevated line that connects Suvarnabhumi airport to the Phaya Thai station (on the SkyTrain) in central Bangkok, covering eight stations. It has been operational since August 2010.

The ARL has two interchange stations, Phaya Thai (changing for the BTS Green Line services) and Makkasan (linking Phetchaburi station of the MRT Blue Line). The Makkasan station serves as the city airport terminal with parking and baggage check-in facilities offered to passengers using the Express Line.

The ARL provides two train services:

Suvarnabhumi Airport Express (SA Express) is a train service that transports passengers from the City Air Terminal or Makkasan station to Suvarnabhumi Airport within 15 minutes without stopping at any station along the way.

Suvarnabhumi Airport City Line (SA City Line) is a train service that transports passengers between the Phyathai station and Suvarnabhumi airport within 30 minutes and stops at every station along the way.

Upcoming ARL projects Jakarta Airport Rail Express, Indonesia

The express rail track in Jakarta will extend 33.68 km from Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (SHIA) in Tangerang. Initially, the line was only planned to link the Manggarai station in South Jakarta to the SHIA, but it was later extended to Halim airport under the new master plan approved in 2013.

Being developed by PT Railink (a joint venture [JV] of national railway operator PT KeretaApi [40 per cent] and national airport owner and operator PT AngkasPura II), the line will connect six stations at Halim Perdanakusuma, Manggarai in South Jakarta, Dukuh Atas and Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, Pluit in North Jakarta, and at SHIA. The sections from Halim to MT Haryono and from Sheraton to SHIA will be underground, while the section from central Cawang to Sheraton will be elevated. The stations at SHIA will be at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 and will be integrated with the airport’s automated people mover system (APM) between the two terminals.

The stations will also be connected to existing commuter train stations for commuters to change lines from connecting commuter trains. The Transportation Ministry expects the express train to serve  20 to 25 per cent of passengers using SHIA. Daily ridership is expected to be up to 40,000 passengers.

The line is expected to reduce travel time between the two airports from the current two hours to 30 minutes. It will operate

for 20 hours daily, in line with the operating hours of the airport. Construction of Line I is expected to begin in 2015 and end in 2019.

Hanoi metro Line 2, Vietnam

As part of Phase I of the planned Hanoi metro system, Line 2 will span 11.54 km connecting Nam Thang Long to Tran Hung Dao, covering 10 stations. This is called the Hanoi City Urban Railway Construction Project.

In the long-term plan, Line 2 will span 35.2 km connecting Noi Bai airport, City Centre, and Thuong Dinh while covering Noi Bai airport and Dong AnhTuLiêm, Old Quarter, French Quarter, along the National Road to Thuong Dinh. The entire Line 2 is expected to be complete by 2020.

The two transport routes, that will be connected to Line 2 are the express bus route and the HàNoi–HàDông urban rail line.

Conclusion

Increased rail linkages to key airports such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila, and Bangkok have proved successful in increasing passenger traffic at the airports and enhancing passenger convenience. Passengers benefit from shorter travel times and easy interconnection with other public transport. The links also ease highway and parking congestion, reduce pollution, and provide additional business opportunities.

The development of ARLs in more cities like Jakarta and Hanoi presents business opportunities through the development of new infrastructure, upgrading of existing infrastructure, procurement of rolling stock and technology, as well as integration of operations and support services.