Travel by Train in Thailand

     Train has been seen as the most traditional way of Thailand’s transporting.
Trains in Thailand are categorized into 5 classes; ordinary, rapid, express, special express and sprinter. They are clean and comfortable; especially the first class and sleeping trains and they are not very expensive. Avoid third class and ordinary trains if you would like lot of comfort and convenience. Traveling by trains takes longer time than traveling by bus, yet it offers a chance to see the scenic views of Thailand along the railway and a chance to meet and chat with locals.

     Hua Lam Phong Train Station in Bangkok is the central train station where major trains from the North, Northeast and South platform. The State Railway of Thailand has run an efficient rail service linking Bangkok to the rest of the country at very reasonable prices for express, fast and ordinary trains. For western and southern routes out of Bangkok, trains are operated from the Thon Buri Station for traveling to destinations as far as Kanchanaburi province in the west and Chumporn province in southern Thailand. On express trains, sleepers are available in three classes: first and second-class with air-condition, and second- class of non air-condition, but with fans.

Centered in Bangkok, the railway system consists of 4 lines:

• The Northern Line through Ayutthaya and Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai
• The North - Eastern Line through Ayutthaya to Nakhon Ratchasima with a northern branch line, to Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai on the Mekong opposite Vientiene, and an eastern line along the Mun River Valley through Surin to Ubon Ratchathani at the junction of the Mun and Mekong and of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
• The Southern Line down the western gulf coast to Hua Hin, Surat Thani and Had Yai and then onto the Malaysia border.
• The Eastern Line through Chachoengsao and Chonburi to Pattaya