Hello everyone. I have just successfully completed the TOEIC in Manila and am starting the second phase of my study today. Well, today I would like to share with you all the Thailand version, how to get a Thai train ticket.
Thailand has a well-developed railroad network, and it is possible to travel to various provinces in Thailand by train. The train cars themselves also include sleeper trains, making domestic rail travel much more feasible than in Myanmar and other countries. However, it is not always easy to know what type of ticket to buy, what type of seat to get, and what kind of facilities are provided on the train, which makes it difficult for travelers to make reservations.
▽Article on the sleeper train to Chiang Mai▽
So, by writing about the details of purchasing train tickets between Bangkok and Ayutthaya and between Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai, I hope to be of help to travelers in Thailand. Basically, the procedure for taking the sleeper express from Ayutthaya or from Bangkok’s Huarampong station is not very different, so I hope that people who want to take the sleeper express from Bangkok will also find this information useful.
About the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)
All railroad tracks in Thailand belong to the state-owned State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The tracks run all over the country with a narrow railroad width of one meter, and in many areas there is only one track. As a result, train arrivals and departures are often delayed. While the train is stopped, passengers have to stay on the train, and the wait is usually less than 10 minutes. The main hub of the rail network is Bangkok, and all routes pass through the city.
Of course, all the information about the latest train schedules can be found at the following website (which in some cases is more up-to-date than the train schedules on the official SRT website).At the site below, enter the train schedule, cost, departure time and destination, and then enter the travel time and train type.
→https://12go.asia/jp/travel/thailand
Compared to train stations in Europe, train stations in Thailand are a bit more sparse. In most cases, the station is covered by a roof, but with the exception of the ticket office where you can buy tickets, it is open and without walls. Most places have small waiting rooms where you can sit and wait for the train. Some stations also have restaurants and stores available.
The train stations in Bangkok and Chiang Mai are larger and more modern than the other stations. The Bangkok and Chiang Mai stations have restaurants, travel agencies, and coffee shops. In Chiang Mai, you need to pick up your boarding pass for the ticket you booked with 12Go.Asia below at the hotel called Bosotel (see map below) next to the train station, and you need to inform them beforehand, and the ticket will be issued at the requested pickup point. For example, if you order a ticket for pickup in Chiang Mai, the ticket will be printed and stored there. Therefore, you will not be able to pick up in Bangkok. The same applies in the reverse case.
→https://12go.asia/jp/travel/thailand
Buy train tickets to Ayutthaya in Bangkok
It is possible to buy tickets for the State Railway of Thailand online, but this time I decided to buy them at the station counter.
→National Railway of Thailand Online Reservation「thairailwayticket.com」
Hualampong station in Bangkok. I book my ticket at the front ticket counter.
345 pesos to Ayutthaya. I had a bitter memory of jumping off the train just after it left, but it was unexpectedly fast and I failed to land, injuring my right wrist. So I told the person at the counter that the air conditioner must be on. A larger version is explained below.
- SPECIAL EXPRESS
- TRAIN: 3
- DEPARTURE DATE: 02SEP19
- DEP. TIME: 10：50
- ARR. TIME: 12：15
Since there is a separate car number, it is assumed that the TRAIN (train number) is the number of the route. Be careful not to confuse the train number with the car number. I got on the wrong car and had to move from one car to another.
- ORIGIN: Bangkok
- DESTINATION: Ayutthaya
- CLASS: 2
- COACH TYPE: APN76
- CAR (Car Number): 2
- SEAT NO.: 24
- PRICE: 345
- ADULT01-01
It’s still a mystery to me what the seat type APN76 means. The A should mean with air conditioning, but what exactly is the PN after that?
The seats are reclining.
I was completely unprepared for the food that was to be served.
▽The hotel I stayed at in Ayutthaya was comfortable.▽
Buying train tickets to Chiang Mai in Ayutthaya
After sightseeing in Ayutthaya, I bought our train tickets to Chiang Mai at the Ayutthaya station counter.
If you say “Going to Chiang Mai, Tomorrow” to the station staff at the reception counter, they will first tell you the departure time. I think there were two options, but I bought the 19:00 flight that arrived in Chiang Mai in the morning. The fare is 1,016 baht. Different station staffs say different things about the fare, so I don’t know what is true. Since I was issued a ticket, I don’t think I was ripped off, but it was slightly more expensive than I had heard. The items listed on the ticket are listed below.
- Passport Number / Name
- MAN (Gender: Male)
- LOWER (seat position: lower)
- ADULT01-01 (Age, Number of people: Adult, 1 person)
There is a description of your passport number and gender, which was not there when I bought the ticket at the Hua Lamphong station.
- TRAIN (tram number): 9
- DEPARTURE DATE: 05SEP19
- DEP. TIME: 19：45
- ARR. TIME: 07:15
Note that the train number is not a car number.
- CLASS: 2
- COACH TYPE: ANSCN
- CAR number: 5
- SEAT NO.: 12
- PRICE: 1,016
The biggest mystery, the seat type ANSCN, which I searched on the Internet, seems to stand for Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach.
Reference：STATE RAILWAY OF THAILAND 115 NEW CRRC CHANGCHUN COACHES: A PREVIEW
National Railway of Thailand Seat Type
The official names of the other seat types were listed on the above website, and are listed below.
- ANFCN: Air-conditioned 1st class sleeper
- Twin shared cabins with convertible seats and mattresses
- Reading lights
- Individual 220-volt power sockets
- LED touch screen entertainment and food ordering system
- Train information TV system
- Individual sinks in the cabin
- Toilet
- Urinals
- Shower stall
- ANSCN: Air-conditioned 2nd class sleeper
- Convertible seats and mattresses
- Reading light
- Individual 220-volt power sockets
- Information monitors
- Train information TV system
- Toilet
- Urinals
- Washbasin area
- ANSHC: Air-conditioned second-class bed with facilities for the physically challenged
- Convertible seats and mattresses
- Reading light
- Individual 220-volt power sockets
- Information monitors
- Train information TV system
- Toilet
- Urinals
- Washbasin area
- Two special bunk beds with handicap facilities
- ARCCN: Air-conditioned restaurant vehicle
- Seating area for 32 persons
- Train information TV system
- LED display for food and beverage
- Bar counter
- Coffee machine
- Kitchen
- Free Wi-Fi
▽Click here to read about the actual sleeper train ride▽
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