In December 1999, the long-awaited elevated railway known as the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Skytrain began operating in Bangkok, providing a much faster alternative to the bus. There are currently two Skytrain lines in operation, both running daily every few minutes from 6am to midnight.
The Sukhumvit Line runs from Mo Chit (stop N8, right next to Chatuchak Market) in the northern part of the city to the interchange, Siam Central Station (CS), at Siam Square, and then east along Sukhumvit, via Ekkamai (stop E7, a couple of minutes' walk from the Eastern Bus terminal) to Soi On Nut (stop E9).
The Silom Line runs from the National Stadium (stop W1) through Siam Central Station, and then south and west along Thanon Rajdamri, Silom and Sathorn to Saphan Taksin Bridge (stop S6) on the Chao Phraya River.
There are two ways of buying tickets . All Skytrain stations have vending machines that sell single-fare tickets. Next to the ticket dispenser a map indicates which fare zones you'll cross to get to your destination. There are seven zones, with fares ranging from B10 to B40. Note that the machines only take B5 and B10 coins. After going through the gates to the platforms, hold on to your ticket as you need it to exit the station at the other end. Alternatively, if you are planning on a few journeys, want to avoid queues and save time, you can buy a stored-value card from the ticket office (B30 deposit, B300 minimum charge) which can be charged again and again. Don't count on getting your deposit back though, as this requires much form-filling and reimbursement is only by post.