Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok skywalks

Elevated walkwayMixed ownershipActiveBuilt for several reasons

Bangkok's skywalks are covered elevated walkways, more than 5.4 km in total, that run mostly beneath the BTS Skytrain viaduct and link stations to shopping malls and offices. The best-known runs from Siam to Chit Lom through the Ratchaprasong shopping district, and another joins Chong Nonsi BTS station to the Sathorn BRT station. Funding is split: the city and BTS have paid for the walkways, while malls pay for the ramps that connect them to their buildings.

LengthMore than 5.4 kmCovered, lit, dedicated elevated skywalks; figure from Wikipedia citing the Bangkok Post.[01]

LevelElevated, mostly beneath the BTS viaductUses space under the rail line and its pillar supports.[01]

OwnershipMixed: city and BTS walkways, mall-funded connectors

Governance

Who owns it, who runs it, what the rules are.

Owner: The walkways themselves were funded by the city and BTS, while connector ramps into malls are paid for by the malls. The Chong Nonsi skywalk serves the BRT, which is owned by Krungthep Thanakom, a holding enterprise of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Legal ownership of individual skywalk segments was not confirmed.
Operator: Not confirmed. The BMA, BTSC and adjoining property owners are the likely parties, but no source reviewed states who maintains each segment.
Hours: No published hours policy found.
Public right: The skywalks run over public streets and connect public transit stations, and they are used as public walkways. No legal instrument granting a right of passage was found.
Who pays: Construction was funded by the city and BTS, with malls paying for their own connector ramps. No source reviewed describes maintenance or cleaning arrangements.

Governing bodies

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL (BTSC)Krungthep ThanakomAdjoining mall and property owners

Open issues

A 50 km expansion was shelved in 2011 for lack of funding.

Timeline

2010The Bangkok BRT, owned by the city's holding company Krungthep Thanakom and operated by BTSC, begins trial service on 29 May; its Sathorn terminus is reached from Chong Nonsi BTS station by skywalk.[04]
2011A proposed 50 km extension of the skywalk network is shelved for lack of funding.[01]

The story

Bangkok's skywalks were built to let pedestrians avoid the city's crowded, uneven and hawker-lined pavements, as well as rain, dust and traffic. They are covered and lit elevated decks rather than enclosed, air-conditioned corridors. Most run directly beneath the BTS Skytrain viaduct and use its pillars for support, so the network follows the rail lines through the commercial centre. Connector ramps lead from the stations into neighbouring malls.

The best-known route, the Sky Walk, connects Siam station with CentralWorld, the Ratchaprasong junction and Chit Lom station, and a skybridge links Chit Lom to the Central Chidlom department store. Further south, the Chong Nonsi Skywalk links the BTS Silom Line to the Sathorn station of the Bangkok BRT, near the King Power Mahanakhon tower. In total the network is more than 5.4 km long.

Funding has been shared. The city and BTS paid for the walkways, while shopping malls paid for the ramps that connect them to their buildings. A plan to extend the network by 50 km was shelved in 2011 for lack of money. The BRT that the Chong Nonsi skywalk serves is owned by Krungthep Thanakom, a BMA holding company, and operated by BTSC.

Public records on how the skywalks are governed are scarce in English. No source reviewed sets out who owns each segment, who maintains and cleans it, or what hours apply. In practice the walkways function as public routes over public streets, but no ordinance or agreement granting a right of passage has been found. The 5.4 km figure also comes from an older press account and may understate the network today.

Questions people ask

How long are Bangkok's skywalks?

There are more than 5.4 km of covered elevated skywalks, mostly running beneath the BTS Skytrain line.

Who paid for the Bangkok skywalks?

The city and BTS funded the walkways, and the malls paid for the ramps connecting them to their buildings.

Can you walk from Siam to Chit Lom on the skywalk?

Yes. The Sky Walk links Siam station with CentralWorld, the Ratchaprasong junction and Chit Lom station, with a skybridge into Central Chidlom.

Does the Chong Nonsi skywalk connect to the BRT?

Yes. A skywalk links Chong Nonsi BTS station on the Silom Line with the Sathorn station of the Bangkok BRT.

Sources

Skyway — Wikipedia (2026)
Chit Lom BTS station — Wikipedia (2026)
Siam BTS station — Wikipedia (2026)
Bangkok BRT — Wikipedia (2026)
Chong Nonsi BTS station — Wikipedia (2026)

About this record

Confidence low · reviewed 2026-10-19. Built entirely from Wikipedia because the shared WebSearch budget was exhausted before this record. The 5.4 km length, the city/BTS/mall funding split and the shelved 50 km plan come from Wikipedia's Skyway article, which cites the Bangkok Post article 'Up above the milling crowd' (bangkokpost.com/lite/news/420125); that page was paywalled (HTTP 402) and could not be checked, and its date is unknown, so the 5.4 km figure may be outdated. Not found: opening years of the Ratchaprasong Sky Walk, the role of the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association and the 'R-Walk' branding, the Pathumwan/National Stadium skywalk, costs, operator, maintenance and hours. A human should check BMA and Thai-language sources. The Siam–Chit Lom route, the Chong Nonsi–Sathorn BRT link and BRT ownership are confirmed by Wikipedia. Not found: Hours.

Map geometry: 463 corridor features, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), as of 2026-10-20. Levels come from OpenStreetMap tags and can be incomplete.

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