Airport Rail Link Bangkok: 8 Stops, 26 Minutes, 45 Baht

The Airport Rail Link (ARL) is the train from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) into central Bangkok. It runs 28.6 km across 8 stations and ends at Phaya Thai, 26 to 30 minutes after the airport. Fares run from 15 THB (~0.45 USD) to 45 THB (~1.35 USD, rate of 33.4 THB per USD on 31 July 2026), and the line serves two useful interchanges: Makkasan for the MRT Blue Line and Phaya Thai for the BTS Sukhumvit Line. Fares and hours below were checked in October 2026.

This guide covers the station list, fares station by station, the two interchanges, trip times to common destinations, and how to reach Bangkok’s two main railway stations from the airport. For a comparison with taxis, buses and ride-hailing, see Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok city.

What is the Airport Rail Link?

The ARL is a single rail line with 8 stations, marked A1 to A8. It opened on 23 August 2010; Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in 2006. The track is owned by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). Since October 2021 it has been run by Asia Era One (AERA1), and a reporting source in September 2026 describes a contractual transition between the two, with an interim arrangement running until 31 January 2027. A second service, the Express Line, once skipped stops. It was suspended in September 2014, so every train today is a City Line train that calls at all 8 stations. Trains terminate at Phaya Thai, and the airport station is the other end of the line, so any train leaving Suvarnabhumi goes toward the city.

The ARL is separate from the BTS and MRT, with its own gates and its own fares. For the wider network, see Bangkok’s rail network explained and the BTS and MRT guide.

Where is the Bangkok airport train station?

The airport station is on B level of the Suvarnabhumi terminal, two floors below the arrivals hall. Arrivals are on the second floor, so the route is an escalator or lift down to B level, then signs reading “Train to City” or “Airport Rail Link” and the route to the City Line. Buy a single-trip token at a ticket vending machine: pick the destination and number of passengers, and the machine calculates the fare. The machines take THB coins and notes and give change and a receipt. Since 8 November 2025, contactless bank cards are also accepted at all stations, according to a metro information site. Keep the token until you exit, because the exit gate takes it.

Which stations does the ARL stop at?

All 8, in this order from the airport. Times are running totals from Suvarnabhumi, and fares are from Suvarnabhumi, checked October 2026.

Source: mapa-metro.com ARL station data, checked September 2026; USD at 33.4 THB per USD (31 July 2026).

Fares rise in 5 baht steps per station, so the airport to Phaya Thai costs 45 THB, the maximum. For a visitor staying in central Bangkok, three stations matter: Makkasan, Ratchaprarop and Phaya Thai. Hua Mak and Ramkhamhaeng are useful for the specific connections in the table.

How much does the airport rail link cost?

15 to 45 THB (~0.45 to 1.35 USD) per trip, depending on how far you ride. The fare to Makkasan is 35 THB (~1.05 USD) and the fare to Phaya Thai is 45 THB (~1.35 USD). That is the whole fare for the ARL leg: any onward BTS or MRT ride is charged separately.

Two combined examples from published guides:

• Airport to MRT Hua Lamphong: 35 THB (ARL to Makkasan) plus 32 THB (MRT, ~0.96 USD), about 67 THB (~2.01 USD) in total.
• Airport to Phaya Thai plus BTS: 45 THB for the ARL plus a BTS ticket, which one guide puts at 15 to 25 THB for a single Sukhumvit Line trip.

A metered taxi from the airport to Hua Lamphong is about 35 km. One guide puts the meter at around 350 to 450 THB, plus a 50 THB airport surcharge and a 75 THB tollway fee, checked in September 2025. The same guide warns that some drivers refuse the meter or quote more.

What are the opening hours and how often do trains run?

Trains run daily from about 05:30 to midnight. One guide gives 23:45 as the last departure from the airport, so plan to be at the platform before that rather than at midnight. Trains normally run every 10 to 15 minutes. A metro information site recorded intervals of about 15 minutes in September 2026 during fleet adjustments, so treat 15 minutes as the planning figure, and check the board at the platform.

The ARL does not run overnight. A guide on rail travel from the airport notes that the service may not suit very late arrivals. For other options see Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok city.

How does the Makkasan interchange work?

Makkasan (A6) is the station for the MRT Blue Line. The Blue Line station next to it is Phetchaburi (BL21), and the two are linked by an elevated skywalk, not by a same-platform change. Makkasan is 22 minutes from the airport and costs 35 THB (~1.05 USD), which makes it the cheaper ARL stop for anyone heading to the Blue Line corridor.

How far is the walk? Published figures disagree. One guide measures the skywalk at 166 metres and says it takes 5 to 8 minutes. A metro information site says the walk is about 400 to 450 metres, and a hotel listing near the station estimates 10 to 15 minutes. With luggage and a tired arrival, allow the longer figure.

The route, from a station walkthrough updated March 2025:

1. Leave the ARL platform and pass through the exit gate.
2. Head for Exit 2 of Makkasan station.
3. Follow the signs to MRT Phetchaburi. A cafe and a self-service luggage storage are at the end of the skywalk, just before the MRT entrance.
4. Buy an MRT ticket and enter the Blue Line.

In the other direction, leave MRT Phetchaburi by Exit 1, take the escalator up to the skyway, and follow the signs to ARL Makkasan. On the ARL platform choose the train toward Suvarnabhumi Airport, not Phaya Thai.

Makkasan is the better interchange when the destination lies on the MRT Blue Line, for example Hua Lamphong. For a closer look at interchange stations across the network, read the interchange stations guide.

How does the Phaya Thai interchange work?

Phaya Thai (A8) is the end of the line and the link to the BTS Sukhumvit Line. After exiting the ARL gates you follow a covered, elevated walkway to the BTS Phaya Thai station. One travel guide estimates the walk at 2 to 3 minutes. The two systems keep separate gates and separate fares, so you pay for the BTS ride on top of the 45 THB (~1.35 USD) ARL fare.

Keep the ARL token until you exit: the gate needs it. Then buy a BTS ticket and enter the Sukhumvit Line. Plan for an exit and a re-entry, not a platform to platform change.

Phaya Thai is the interchange for the BTS Sukhumvit Line. Both interchanges are compared station by station in the interchange stations guide.

How long does it take to reach the city centre from BKK?

The ARL itself takes 22 minutes to Makkasan, 25 minutes to Ratchaprarop and 26 minutes to Phaya Thai. Door to door is longer, because it adds the walk to the platform, the wait for the next train and the onward leg.

Sources: mapa-metro.com (Sept 2026), thaiest.com (Sept 2025); USD at 33.4 THB per USD (31 July 2026).

Add 10 to 15 minutes of waiting, since trains run every 10 to 15 minutes, and a few minutes for the escalator down to the platform. For an arrival time estimate, that makes roughly 40 to 50 minutes from the arrivals hall to Phaya Thai, which is an estimate built from the figures above and not a published timetable.

How do you get from the airport to Hua Lamphong train station?

Take the ARL to Makkasan (about 22 minutes), cross the skywalk to MRT Phetchaburi, then ride the Blue Line to Hua Lamphong (about 13 minutes) and leave by Exit 4. The trip costs about 67 THB (~2.01 USD) and takes around an hour including the transfer and ticket purchases, according to a published guide updated in September 2025.

Do check which station your train leaves from before planning around Hua Lamphong. Long-distance services moved to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in January 2023, but Bangkok Post reporting at the time said 62 trips on public service trains stayed at Hua Lamphong. In late September 2026 the SRT suspended several Eastern Line services after flooding, including Hua Lamphong departures to Chuk Samet, Kabin Buri and Ban Khlong Luk, which shows the station still handles Eastern Line trains. Confirm your service with the SRT or the ticket office.

How do you get from the airport to Thonburi train station?

Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) station is not on the ARL or any MRT line. The nearest MRT Blue Line station is Bang Khun Non, according to a transport guide, and the Chao Phraya Express Boat pier next to the station is N11. The Siriraj MRT station that would serve the area is not open: it is expected in 2030, on the Orange Line.

If your goal is a train to Kanchanaburi or Nam Tok, the guides list two departures from Thonburi, No. 257 at 07:45 and No. 259 at 13:55, at 100 THB for foreigners, third class only. Confirm times with the SRT. Tickets for this line cannot be bought online or in advance; buy them at the station about 30 minutes before departure.

What is the distance from the airport to the train station?

The ARL is 28.6 km end to end, and a taxi from the airport to Hua Lamphong is about 35 km. The rail fare to Phaya Thai is 45 THB, against 350 to 450 THB on the taxi meter plus surcharges (September 2025 guide).

Is the ARL worth it from the airport?

For a light-luggage arrival heading to Phaya Thai, Makkasan or a hotel near the BTS or MRT, yes: the trip is quick and cheap, and trains run every 10 to 15 minutes. It is a weaker choice when:

• you land after about 23:45, because the last train from the airport leaves before midnight;
• you carry several bags, because each interchange adds gates and a walk;
• your hotel is far from a station, because a final taxi or walk adds cost and time to the trip.

For a day-one decision that weighs rail against a taxi, see Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok city.

See also: Suvarnabhumi airport guide, which Bangkok train station to use and Don Mueang vs Suvarnabhumi.

What should you check before you travel?

• Operating hours and frequency, because the operator transition and fleet changes may alter them.
• The walk lengths at Makkasan and Phaya Thai, since published figures differ.
• The current fare at the vending machine screen: it shows the fare once you pick the destination.
• Whether your onward train leaves from Hua Lamphong or Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal.

Fares and times in this guide were checked in October 2026 against secondary sources, and the operator’s own notices come first if they differ.