TRANSPORT
TRAIN
Tours with Kasma Loha-
Unchit (www.thaifoodand
travel.com) Thai cookbook
author offers personalised
‘cultural immersion’ tours of
Thailand.Train
Thailand’s train system con-
nects the four corners of the
country and is most conveni-
ent as an alternative to buses
for the long journey north to
Chiang Mai or south to Surat
Thani. The train is also ideal
for short trips to Ayuthaya and
Lopburi from Bangkok where
traffi c is a consideration.
The 4500km rail network
is operated by the State
Railway of Thailand (SRT;
%1690; http://www.railway.co.th) and
covers four main lines: the
northern, southern, north-
eastern and eastern lines. All
long-distance trains originate
from Bangkok’s Hua Lam-
phong station.Classes
The SRT operates passenger
trains in three classes – 1st,
2nd and 3rd – but each class
varies considerably depend-
ing on whether you’re on an
ordinary, rapid or express
train.
First Class – Private cabins
define the 1st-class car-
riages, which are available
only on rapid, express and
special-express trains.
Second Class – The seating
arrangements in a 2nd-class,
non-sleeper carriage are
similar to those on a bus,
with pairs of padded seats,
usually recliners, all facing
towards the front of thetrain. On 2nd-class sleeper
cars, pairs of seats face one
another and convert into two
fold-down berths. The lower
berth has more headroom
than the upper berth and this
is reflected in a higher fare.
Children are always assigned
a lower berth. Second-class
carriages are found only on
rapid and express trains.
There are air-con and fan
2nd-class carriages.
Third Class – A typical 3rd-
class carriage consists of two
rows of bench seats divided
into facing pairs. Each bench
seat is designed to seat two
or three passengers, but on
a crowded rural line nobody
seems to care. Express
trains do not carry 3rd-class
carriages at all. Commuter
trains in the Bangkok area
are all 3rd class.Costs
Fares are determined on a
base price with surcharges
added for distance, class and
train type (special express,
express, rapid, ordinary).
Extra charges are added if
the carriage has air-con and
for sleeping berths (either
upper or lower).Reservations
Advance bookings can be
made from one to 60 days
before your intended date
of departure. You can make
bookings in person from any
train station. Train tickets can
also be purchased at travel
agencies, which usually add
a service charge to the ticket
price. If you are planning
long-distance train travel
from outside the country, you
should email the State Rail-way of Thailand (passenger
[email protected]) at least two
weeks before your journey.
You will receive an email con-
fi rming the booking. Pick up
and pay for tickets an hour
before leaving at the sched-
uled departure train station.
It is advisable to make
advanced bookings for long-
distance sleeper trains be-
tween Bangkok and Chiang
Mai or from Bangkok to Su-
rat Thani, especially around
Songkran in April and peak
tourist-season months of
December and January.
For short-distance trips
you should purchase your
ticket at least a day in ad-
vance for seats (rather than
sleepers).
Partial refunds on tickets
are available depending on
the number of days prior to
your departure you arrange
for a cancellation. These ar-
rangements can be handled
at the train station booking
offi ce.Station Services
You’ll fi nd that all train
stations in Thailand have
baggage-storage services (or
‘cloak rooms’). Most stations
have a ticket window that
will open between 15 and 30
minutes before train arrivals.
There are also newsagents
and small snack vendors, but
no full-service restaurants.
Most train stations have
printed timetables in English;
although this isn’t always
the case for smaller stations.
Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong
station is a good spot to load
up on timetables.