Guide to train travel in Thailand

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 trains and the distance and, let's say it, a little complex to understand, even if it is becoming clearer with a increasingly general rule. This is why using sites like the first one on my list below really helps! But here is the general rule (applicable since July 1, 2024) which applies to trains with reservable seats:

• If you are traveling less than 25% of the total distance of the train journey: tickets can be purchased 1 day in advance only.
• If you are traveling between 25% and 59% of the train journey distance: tickets can be purchased up to 30 days in advance.
• If you are traveling 60% or more of the distance of the train journey: tickets can be purchased up to 180 days in advance.

Please note that for berths in night trains for which it is essential to reserve in advance, you will almost always be in the case of being able to reserve 180 days in advance. For short journeys, tickets are generally only on sale 24 hours in advance. Please note that for trains departing from Thonburi station (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.

Reserve your tickets before they go on sale

Sites like 12go, allow you to buy your train tickets before the official sale date. However, your tickets are only confirmed once they are actually on sale. (the site buys tickets as soon as they are officially on sale which opens at 8:30 a.m., by booking in advance, it almost never happens that the tickets are not confirmed in the end). I'm just telling you this to explain how it works. Going through them also allows you to secure your sleeper train seats. Otherwise, you will have to put an alert on the SRT website at the right time.

There are also two things to know: the trains in Thailand are slow, often late and there is, except for night trains and Super Express trains sometimes, always available seats, even at the last minute. But once again for a night train berth, book in advance!

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.