Choo-choo-choose to travel differently. By Sharon
Kaserer
Thailand really has so much to offer and yet many of us rarely
venture beyond the big tourist hotspots. The next time you’re in
the Kingdom try this—exploring it by train. Perhaps the most
classic way to get from point A to point B, train travel is also
affordable, quite romantic and a beautiful way to see the land.
With a bevy of destinations to check out, try chugging there at a
more sedate pace and maybe get to experience some old sights from a
new perspective.
Weekend Escapes
Train travel in Thailand still has a few rough spots and predicting
arrival times can be a bit of a dark art. Still, the State Railway
of Thailand has a few aces up its sleeve to help soften these
inconveniences. The highlight has to be the discount year-round
weekend and public holiday roundtrip fares to various destinations.
Be warned, not all of these offers are current, so it pays to call
and double check before booking. Also, the current offers only
cover trains without air-conditioning. On the bright side, this
means an even cheaper deal of B100 for adults and B60 for children.
Rates for air-conditioned cabins are double these prices. There are
fixed arrival and departure times every Saturday and Sunday, with
the option of making a day of it or spending the night in the
chosen destination.
Whether it’s for some fresh sea air or seafood, Hua
Hin is the prime destination, and the picturesque train
station alone is worth a visit. Its historic 1920s architecture and
special Royal Waiting Room conjure up images of the golden days of
train travel when the King and his entourage used to head to the
coast by rail. Friday and Saturday trains (B382 for air-coned
express) depart Bangkok at 6:30am and arrive in Hua Hin at 10:40am.
Coming back, they leave Hua Hin at 3:40pm reaching the capital at
8pm each day.
More active water-based fun can be found at Sai Yok
Waterfall, where you can go cave exploring and kayaking (not
included in the train ticket price). Equally spectacular is the
journey itself which passes such scenic sights as Phra Pathom Jedi
and the River Kwai Bridge. The station is a good walk from the
falls, but there are song taews that do the trip. Trains leave
Bangkok at 6:30am and arrive at Nam Tok Sai Yok Station at 10:40am.
With the return train starting off at 2:40pm, you might want to
stay overnight.
Other destinations covered by this deal (though not always
running) include Srinakarin Dam and Erawan Waterfall, the River
Kwai Bridge and the Muang Sing Historical Palace.
Local Locomotion
Another worthy destination to be attempted by train is
Sukhothai. The former capital, declared a UNESCO
Natural World Heritage Site in 1991, offers a wealth of old
temples, laidback style of life and the famous Sukhothai noodles.
There are 11 trains a day, making the six-hour journey from Bangkok
to Phitsanulok Station (B964/B1,164 for first class upper/lower
bunks, B449 for air-coned sprinter). Only 59kms away from
Sukhothai, a quick bus ride gets you to your final
destination.
Going to Hat Yai to get a taste of some
Southern flair is also a popular route (B1,394/B1,594 for first
class). The famous Vegetarian Festival at the end of Sep/beginning
Oct draws a fair share of onlookers and participants. The sprinter
train leaving from Bangkok gets you there fastest, leaving at
10:30pm and arriving at 12:30am the next day. At B675 for second
class, you get seats that can lean down.
With its lush natural surroundings and cool mountain air,
Chiang Mai boasts more than enough sights and
activities to keep all sorts of travelers occupied. There are six
trains departing daily from Hua Lamphong, with the express
overnighter leaving at 6pm and arriving at 7:15am the next morning.
If you want to travel in relative comfort go for the first class
sleeper (B1,253/B1,453 upper/lower bunks). The second class sleeper
is also available at B791 for upper and B881 for lower bunks.
Go Inter
Want to cross borders? Get ready to spend a long time enjoying the
beauty of Thailand’s vast landscape. If you want to heed the siren
song of our southernmost neighbors, two destinations in Malaysia
can be reached on sleepers. The daily Bangkok-Sungai
Kolok route leaves the capital at 3:10pm and arrives at
the sleepy border town around noon the following day (B1,753 for
first class, B977 for second class). Another option is the
similarly daily Bangkok–Butterworth route, which
also lets you continue onwards to Singapore (B1,210 for second
class only).
Vientiane is another destination that can,
with a touch more effort, be reached by train via Nong Khai. One of
three trains that leave Hua Lamphong daily in that direction is the
“Express 69” train at 8:05pm arriving at 8:25am the next morning
(B1,117/B1,317 first class upper/lower bunks, B688/B758 second
class upper/lower bunks). You should then be able to buy tickets to
Vientiane at Nong Khai Railway Station, but there are currently
some issues with this route, which won’t be resolved until later
this year. You can still reach the Laotian town by a combo of the
“Friendship Van+Taxi” that crosses the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge
(van B20, taxi around B100).
Cambodia is also a feasible goal. Ride the
daily 8:30pm sleeper car to Ubon Ratchathani (B1,200 for first
class, B761 for second class), and hop off 12 hours later to catch
the next bus over the border.
If your heart yearns for the golden age of steam and you are
willing to dig deep into those coffers, then the Eastern
& Oriental Express trains, with their old-fashioned
steam engines and lusciously furnished cabins, offer the chance to
take a real nostalgia trip. From Singapore the E&O will take
you up to Bangkok from about US$2,050 for a three-day, one-way,
journey. From Bangkok there are options to journey to Chiang Mai,
Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur, with various permutations and roundtrip
combinations available.
The trainspotter’s guide to Thai trains
1. There are four types of trains: Sprinter, rapid, express and
regular.
2. The sprinter is by far the fastest and also the smallest—with
only adjustable seating available.
3. There is no real difference in the speeds of the rapid and
express trains.
4. Rapid trains are the most common, most don’t have air-con, but
have fans only.
5. Express trains have air-con and first class sections.
6. Regular trains only have third class bench seating.
7. First class has two air-conditioned bunk beds per private
cabin.
8. Second class has group sleeping-areas in each carriage. Daytime
seating converts into bunk beds at night. Can be air-conditioned or
with fans.
9. Third class only has wooden benches to sit on, and fans in each
carriage.
Essentials
Hua Lamphong
Hua Lampong Railway station, Rama 4 Rd., Bangkok;
+62-2-220-4444.
SRT
State Railway of Thailand,1 Rongmuang Rd., Rongmuang, Pathumwan,
Bangkok; +62-2-222-0175.
www.railway.co.th
Eastern and Oriental Express
To book, call +65-6395-0678.
www.orient-express.com
Exchange rate B100 = S$4