For a minute there it was looking like, after all those years of hoopla, the darling Airport Link (SARL) wasn’t going to survive, failing to break even each month (even though trains always seem packed when we’re on them). Well now, the Department of Transport is coming to the rescue in the best way Bangkok knows how: yes, by building a mall. The department has vowed to push for a 571-rai commercial complex at Makkasan station, fashioned after Chamchuri Square. The space would include a combination of commercial retail space as well as residences. Would a proper taxi rank not be cheaper? Other plans to boost public train systems include B20 flat rates for the the SARL, BTS and MRT, as well as extending the SARL to Rayong province. We’re not sure how they’ll ever break even now.