Guide to travel in Thailand by train
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Practical information about trains in Thailand
The train is definitely the cheapest way to travel in Thailand. The third class tickets are very very affordable. The train average speed is quite low, about 40 km/h or less and thai trains are never on time but it's still a pleasant way to travel if you have time. There are several levels of comfort, several types of more or less rapid train (regular, fast, express or super express). The railway network in Thailand consists in four lines, the Northern line, the Southern Line, the Eastern Line and the North Eastern Line.
When traveling by train in Thailand, if you want to enjoy the scenery, prefer 3rd class cars, which are certainly less comfortable and not air-conditioned but without windows. A good thing when you know that the windows in the upper classes are often dirty and do not allow you to see clearly outside. The other great interest of traveling by train in Thailand is the contact with the locals. The vast majority of passengers are Thai and it is not uncommon for them to offer to share with fruit or other foods they have purchased. You often meet nice people on Thai trains even if communication is not always easy. For those who really want to know the country and the inhabitants, it is an experience to be lived. And the ballet of vendors in 3rd class cars (and only 3rd calss cars) with their platters of kebabs, chicken thighs, bottles, drinks, cashews, rice dishes... is fun to watch and personnally i prefer to buy from them than getting my meal from the Thai Train Company. No need for a dining car, they bring you everything on a tray! Everything is sold at 10, 20 or 30 baht. In 1st and 2nd class, depending on the length of your trip, you have one or more meals included in the price of the ticket and no street vendors but one hostess per wagon.
Be careful, before getting on a train in Thailand, make sure that it is yours, it may very well arrive exactly at the time yours is scheduled but that does not always mean that it is tyour train. The punctuality of the trains is quite relative here. In all the stations of cities frequented by tourists, you have a Tourist Police office which will inform you. Otherwise, ask the other passengers or the SRT officer on the platform if this is the right train by showing your ticket. You can also try to speak to them in Thai. This train goes to Chiang Mai, for example, is said: rod faï nee paï tee Chiang Mai maï khrap ? (this train goes to Chiang Mai, right?). Replace khrap with kha if you are woman and Chiang Mai with the name of the city you are going to. Note that it is generally not necessary to book your seats in advance except for the berths in the night trains (best to book at least 15 days in advance) and that it is preferable to do it a bit advance for Super Express trains (use the search tool). On the other hand, on long journeys (more than 1h30), book in advance at the station or on the internet (via SRT official website or 12go website) to make sure you have a seat. If you are leaving from the city where the train starts, you should be fine but if you take it on the way, you may have to do all or part of the trip standing up because in 3rd class, tickets are always sold regardless of the number of seats. Sometimes, it is better to pay the few euros in addition to have a booked seat... My advice: at least try to buy your train ticket at least at the station the day before for the next day. It's more expensive than the same day but at least you will get your seat allocated. Be careful, you cannot go everywhere by train in Thailand, Phuket for example, a major tourist destination does not have a train station.
When and how to buy train tickets to travel in Thailand?
There are two main ways to buy train tickets to travel in Thailand: buy them at any railway station in the country or buy them on the internet. You can also buy them via local travel agencies once in Thailand but this is less and less done. If you want to book your train journeys before your arrival in Thailand, and this is recommended for night train berths, online purchase will be your only option.The official deadlines for putting train tickets on sale in Thailand vary depending on the train and the distance of the trip and, let's say it, they are a little complex to understand, which is why using websites like the first of my The list below to book your train tickets in Thailand helps a lot! Basically, for a long distance, train tickets are put on sale 30 days before the departure date (at 8.30 am local time). For some night trains (I indicate it in the details of the train route with the departure times in each station), you can now book your seats 90 days in advance. For short train journeys in Thailand, tickets are generally only on sale 24 hours in advance. Please note that for trains departing from Thonburi station in Bangkok (trains to go to Kanchanaburi in particular), tickets can only be purchased at the station and on the same day.
Buy your Thai train tickets online
There are several options for purchasing your train tickets to travel in Thailand:- the SRT (State Railway of Thailand) website which allows you to buy your tickets online and receive them in PDF form. The website is unfortunately a little complicated to use and not very intuitive. Just changing the language to English is difficult if you don't can't read Thai. Hopefully that will change! Tickets can only be booked (except in special cases mentioned below) 30 days before the departure date at the earliest. Another complication is that the site does not allow you to search for all trains departing from Bangkok in a single search. You must choose ''Bangkok'' for those leaving from the old station and ''Krung Thep Aphiwat'' for trains leaving from the new Bangkok Railway Terminal.
- 12go website, an online transport ticket sales agency. As for me; it is the most reliable and efficient website for booking transport in Thailand. Obviously, there are additional costs but their website is much easier to use. It also allows you to pre-book your train tickets on the most popular routes before the 30 days official sale. They will take care of buying them for you as soon as tickets are on sale.
- Boalau website, a competitor to 12go that arrived later and does not have the reputation of 12go.
- the SRT D-Ticket smartphone application which, like the official website, is not very intuitive.
Rules for purchasing Thai train tickets in advance
In Thailand, train tickets do not go on sale months in advance as you may see in your home country. It is usually only 30 days before the departure that they are actually on sale. And on the cheapest slow trains, or some train departing from Hua Lamphong station going on short journeys or even trains on the Thonburi - Kanchanaburi - Namtok line, they can only be purchased on the same day and only at the station. Here are the rules for selling train tickets in advance in Thailand.- for a journey of more than 25% of the total distance covered by the train, you can book your ticket 30 days in advance at the earliest. This is particularly the case for night train berths, which I recommend booking as soon as they go on sale or in the next days. Especially on the Bangkok and Chiang Mai route, the most popular by night train.
- for a journey of less than 25% of the total distance covered by the train, you can only book your ticket the day before or the same day.
These rules are the official sales rules. This means that on the SRT website or on its application you will only be able to book train tickets within these deadlines. But sites like 12go allow you to buy your train tickets well in advance. Just note that your tickets will only be confirmed once they are actually on sale (the website buys the tickets for you as soon as they are officially on sale). Don't panic, it almost never happens that the tickets are not confirmed in the end. I'm mainly telling you this to explain how it works. Booking on their website also allows you to secure your berth on sleeper trains. Otherwise, it is highly recommended to alert yourself 30 days in advance and book the tickets on the SRT website.
Customer Support and Service
In case of problem or need to modify or cancel your train tickets, if you purchased them via the SRT website, you will need to contact the train hotline at 1690 (onmy from Thailand). They have English-speaking staff but depending to the people you speak to, even in English, it's not always easy to be understood.12go as a better english speaking staff. You can contact them via their online support form in many languages. They are quite responsive and accommodating, when possible, especially when it comes to ticket modifications. That being said, verify your dates and times twice before confirming an order.
Thai Train Baggage Policy
There are theoretically limited baggage weights per person depending on the type of ticket purchased but in reality, you can board a train in Thailand with the weight and number of bags you want. There is only a specific procedure with fees for loading a bicycle. And you cannot load a bicycle on all trains. You must find out beforehand at the station.Train Delay Policy
In Thailand, no compensation is provided for a train delay regardless of its duration. And the trains are often late. No very big delays most of the time but allow for some margin. Because big delays are still much more frequent in Europe. Especially if you have to connect train and other means of transport. With a flight from Don Muang airport for example.Taking the train in Thailand with a pet
Animals are only allowed in 3rd class carriage in Thai trains. A specific fee must be paid and any animal over 30 kilos will not be allowed onboard. I have not tested and I've never seen anyone at a train station buying a ticket for its dog or cat, so I don't actually know how actually works. You will need to find out details at the station.Some interesting infromation about trains
Night trains in Thailand
The atmosphere of night trains in Thailand with their nightclub car is truly amazing ! It is often a memorable trip though you can't enjoy the landscape when it's dark of course. It is best to book your sleepers in advance at the station or via websites like 12go.asia.
Book Thailand train tickets online
If you prefer to organize your trip in advance, you can book your train tickets to travel in Thailand ahead. You can book online on the website 12go that we tested and validated. Advance booking is especially recommended for sleepers in night trains but can also be good for some super express trains.
Thai Railway State Comapny
(hotline can only be called from Thailand)
Thailand train detailled search (with all stations)
The search engine at the top of the page only contains the main stations and is generally suffising but if you have a specific search and do not find the station you are looking fo, here is a search engine with almost all train stations of the Thai railway network.
Railway stations in Thailand
13000 Ayutthaya
77140 Bang Saphan
02 222 0175
10330 Bangkok
02 220 1690
31000 Buriram
02 220 4334
76120 Cha Am
50000 Chiang Mai
053 245 363
86000 Chumphon
10210 Bangkok
02 222 0175
074 238 005
77110 Hua Hin
71000 Kanchanaburi
40000 Khon Kaen
10210 Bangkok
02 222 0175
52100 Lampang
054 217 024
15000 Lopburi
73000 Nakhon Pathom
30000 Nakhon Ratchasima
20160 Pattaya
76000 Phetchaburi
65000 Phitsanulok
77000 Prachuap Khiri Khan
33000 Si Saket
045 617 978
33000 Si Saket
84130 Surat Thani
10700 Bangkok
32000 Surin
044 515 393
92000 Trang
34190 Ubon Ratchathani
41000 Udon Thani
