The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

Wallace

Despite the plethora of discount fares, I thought I would share my opinion of why a seat in a second class train compartment is always a better option if you're heading for a destination with a railway station:

1. Check in procedures:

Plane - generally horrid queues where you shuffle along kicking your bag(s) waiting to be told there are no window seats left. You have to turn up at least an hour before the flight.

Train - no queues, no hassles, and all the seats are next to a window. You can turn up 5 minutes before the train leaves.



And if you haven't got a ticket, look, no queues.

2. Security checks

Not sure what the latest is, but no one goes through your underwear before you get on a train, and no one tells you you can't take on board as many liquid products as you want. You also don't have to stand in a queue to be frisked, x-rayed, and checked for explosives. And there's NO DEPARTURE TAX.

3. Departure lounge facilities

Bangkok airport - enough said. Crap, crap and crap. Very few cafes, overpriced food and hardly anywhere to sit down. And we all know the toilet situation. Plus the last time I could only find 2 public phones IN TOTAL, and only one of them was working.

Train - plenty of platform seating:



More than 2 phones within reach of your seat:



and normal priced food and drinks and adequate signs to the toilets:





4. In-flight comfort and entertainment

Plane - seat with barely enough room for a midget to stretch out without causing serious problems for those around him. Food and drink on board are free, but not with budget airlines, and often not really up to high standards.

Train - not only a seat wider than any in business class, but if you're on an overnight train, you get an entire bed to yourself. There are scores of food and drink vendors who walk up and down the carriage for the entire journey, so you can eat as often, and whenever, you like. You can also take on a whole crate of beer if that's your style.

Toilets - well, airline toilets are no better than train toilets after 20 people have used them. But at least you can swing a cat in a train bog, and some of them have showers.

5. Arrival, customs and immigration

Plane - after a 10 minute walk you stand around while everyone pushes past you to get to their suitcase/cardboard box/rucksack, or whatever they've stowed as luggage. If it's an international arrival you have to cart your stuff past bored customs officials, and that's after queuing up for your visa on arrival or whatever other formality you have to go through to get into the country.

Train - your bags are always with you, so no chance of some baggage handler making off with your granny's Thai silk scarf. The only international route in Thailand is to Malaysia. Your stuff stays on the train, you walk onto the platform and into the immigration bit, out the other side, and back through Malaysian passport control and then back to your seat. There's only one train in the station, so you're not waiting behind 300 recent arrivals from Nigeria, all of whom have forgotten to fill in their immigration forms. Total processing time - about 15 minutes if you're not quick off the train.

5. Onward travel

Plane - airports don't belong in city centres, so you have to work out the best way to your destination. It can cost a lot. In fact, it's often more expensive to get to and from the airport than it is for the discounted airfare.

Train - you end up in the centre of the city, where there is always plenty of public or private transport to take you where you want to go. Transport options are also within spitting distance of the station, not hidden away or requiring a transit bus to take you there.

Trains are also a lot cheaper, better for the environment, and a brilliant way to relax, meet people, or simply chill out with a pile of books or some music.

So, next time you're heading for Singapore or just need a visa stamp, consider a trip down to Malaysia by train. It might take longer, but then the journey is part of the fun. I've travelled all over the world by plane and I can't remember ever thinking it was a good way to enjoy myself.

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MeMock

I agree with all of the above, I love trains.

However 3 hrs v 15 hrs always seems to see me on a plane

dirtydog

I used to love the train journey from Hua lampong down to Butterworth in my younger days, 2nd class fan, smoking and drinking till your hearts content, then hitting the buffet car to get some really awful over priced Thai food, can't remember how many years ago the last time I went, but the trains were all aircon, so problems with smoking, Pedang Besar train station had been rebuilt, the little 4 by 4 meter restaurant had gone, he now runs the currencey exchange I believe, I think the train used to get in there at about 9am, you would see all the Pattaya guys in the restaurant ordering cans of beer to keep them going till we hit Butterworth, me I used to order their chicken Indian curry, that was damn good and about 20 baht, now the new station is overly sanitised and sells egg or tuna sandwiches that taste awful and aint worth the money, also the toilets weren't open, so you been on the train 20 hours maybe and still got 3 more hours of journey left, so you got to hold it in or use the trains toilet, have you ever tried using a squat toilet on a moving train? you really do need a friend to help you keep your balance.

One time i was stuck on a train in Hat Yai after a derailment of another train, we were their for about 10 hours, every now and again the train would move a little bit, every now again I would get off the train to have a wander about, you really had to be carefull as the toilets just empty out onto the track, there were one foot high piles of poo everywhere

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Anonymous Coward

I have fond memories of train trips in Thailand and beyond. Bangkok to Singapore in 1977. Bangkok to Chiangmai the same year. Bangkok to Nong Khai in 1991. Even Bangkok to Korat and Buriram in 1999. Decent trains. Good fun. Reasonable schedule. What happened?

A couple of years ago I persuaded Ms. AC and her daughter to take the "Sprinter" (good joke that one) from Chiangmai to Bangkok. 12 hours of rocking and rolling hell. I'm sure I'll never get the kid on another train. In fact, she told her mother that the next I wanted to take a train I could go alone while they fly.

I'm afraid the days of decent passenger rail travel in Thailand are in the distant past.

daveboy

I love travelling to Surin by train, I generally get the over nighter and really enjoy waking up and taking in the Esarn country side early morning.

Anonymous Coward

Can you describe the train and schedule for us? I'm sometimes tempted to take the train from Korat to Bangkok but I live right near the rail line and when I see those crappy, poorly maintained passenger cars I think again.

Wallace

That's a rather strange post, AC (your first one), because, as far as I know, the trains now are exactly the same ones that ran in the years you went. They haven't changed the rolling stock, the timetable hasn't changed since Thailand first started operating trains, it seems, so perhaps you were just unlucky. There are probably fast and slow trains from Korat, I think the 3rd class commuter trains are the crappy ones, so avoid those. Perhaps you could hop on one of the express trains from Nong Khai or somewhere up there.

I posted this as the last trip I did was to Phnom Penh to meet some friends. It was great being there, but the trip was really ruined by taking the plane there and back. Horrid experience.

It's a pity no Thai government has sussed out the benefits of having a decent rail infrastructure. Imagine having fast trains to Phnom Penh, Laos, or Singapore? It would be so brilliant. London to Paris is now faster than using a plane. About time South East Asia got its act together and realised the potential.

Anonymous Coward

I've posted this before, but I'll do it again:

When I took the train to Korat in 1999 I was in a beautiful new first class carriage. There were attendants on board and they served us a nice hot lunch. The carriage was air conditioned and ran quite smoothly. It was a beautiful trip. In the two years that I have been living along the rail line I have not once seen a train with similar carriages.

The "Sprinter" I took from Chiangmai to Bangkok a few years ago was just awful. The thing swayed so that it was impossible to read. My tray table was canted at an angle making it impossible to eat the meal or have a beverage without most of it ending up on your lap. I was sitting next to an old man who just couldn't manage. I ended up having to feed him.

All I know is that this trip combined with my observation of the trains going past where I live make a very marked contrast with my earlier very nice experiences with train travel in Thailand.

That's why I was asking for details from daveboy. Maybe in two years of observation I've simply missed seeing all the "nice" trains.

dirtydog

They have changed the rolling stock for the Malaysia run in my time here.

daveboy

Train #67 Leaves Bangkok 20:30 this is the overnight sleeper its meant to get to Surin 4:00 but never gets there until around 5:30 , we always try to get a VIP ticket which gets you your own room with air con, its not exactly luxury but its comfortable. The seats are converted into bunk beds by staff on the train when needed all in all if your in no rush to get any where an enjoyable way to travel.

benbaaa

I have very fond memories of my first train journey in Thailand - an overnighter to Chiang Mai. Me and me mates were continually sold beer by a very sexy beer girl, and we sat up drinking until very late. When the beer stopped, I got out a litre of Jameson's that I'd brought over duty free. This caught the attention of a couple of the guards and a police officer and we all continued getting even more pissed. At one point - I can't remember why - I had my Swiss Army knife out, and the copper said he wanted it because his brother had a knife factory and they could make cheap copies. I said no, so he offered to swap it for his gun. I said no again and he offered to go and wake up the sexy beer girl and make sure she was unspeakably naughty with me in my bunk. The fact that I also said no to this just goes to prove how drunk I was.

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gos

Hi guys this is my first post on teak door in about six months I,m coming over to Thai land for a long holiday and I plan to do some train trips whats the best way to safe guard luggage

kingwilly

i wouldnt worry too much, your luggage stays with u, keep your money etc on your person.

i recommend a decent bumbag!

gos

thanks kingwilly

Anonymous Coward

Many years back a friend and I decided we wanted to cycle in Laos so we took our bikes by train up to Nong Khai. We decided that we wanted to keep our bikes with us on the train. We had a first class compartment but we must have looked like a couple of loons jammed in there with two big mountain bikes in bike bags.

Marmite the Dog

Oi Wallace you miserable Manc!

After having experienced the new airport for the first time this weekend, I have to disagree with most of what the OP said.

Suwannapoom was only a 30 min taxi ride away from Ratchada and even catching a taxi back was a doddle. Just wander up to Departures and there's loads of friendly taxis waiting for your instructions.

There were loads of places to buy food and drink and the toilets were easy to find (next to the cafes, which was handy).

The actualy flying part is always shite, but then again, so is the travelling on a train, unless you've got a couple of mates and a 1st class compartment. The flights to and from Hanoi were two of the smoothest flights I have ever had.

I always prefer to fly as trains are too slow.

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I will meet the blackness and the blackness will be eternal

Wallace

'Loads of places to buy food and drink'? Really? There are about half a dozen cafes and they're all in the same place at the far left end of the departure lounge. I couldn't find any others except the two overpriced yuppie frosted glass monstrosities immediately on the other side of passport control.

And there are still nowhere near enough places just to sit and relax if you have to wait for a flight.

Marmite the Dog

^ I guess I was lucky then (and had my eyes open).

dirtydog

This will come back and haunt you

sanget

The idea of train travel has never occured to me before, but it does sound inviting. What a good way to see the countryside as well as staying off the roads, where every moment can bring unceasing terror.