Railways

[Senorita_tee]

Is there a good rail service through out Thailand. I have been told that there is a rail link between some of the major cities in the north but is it possible to go from bkk to Phuket by rail. Also is travel by rail safe in thailand .

[jerry]

Just take a domestic flight , it's not that much more expensive and save yourself a 'smelly' train journey and a lot of time .

Air asia is having specials every Friday from 1 till 4pm on the website . I booked a flight to BKK-Phuket last time for only

600 bath , that's even cheaper than the train .

[semi-retired member]

Note that, despite an excellent April-Fools-Joke on ThaiVisa.com a few years ago, "Train-Crash at Phuket Railway-Station" complete with photos, the train does not run to Phuket !

 

But if you have time to burn, it's not a bad (or expensive) way to see Thailand, looking out of a train-window & wondering whether to buy another beer from the vendor ! The long-distance trains tend to be overnight (2nd-class sleeper is good) and run a few hours late. The 4-hour once-per-day 3rd-class train, from Pattaya to Bangkok beats the 2-hour bus-ride, if you want to see more of the real Thailand !

 

The long-distance bus is also equally-uncomfortable (unless you travel VIP-class) & you can't stretch your legs as-easily as on-the-train.

 

So plane for short-visit tourists, train or bus for longer-term visitors, who want to see more of the country.

[Senorita_tee]

Thanks for the replies.

May look at the Bkk to Pattaya journey one day but the 4 hours is a bit long winded.

[Al.]

Thanks for the replies.

May look at the Bkk to Pattaya journey one day but the 4 hours is a bit long winded.

 

At 31 baht it's the cheapest way to get to and from Pattaya.

 

Al.

[Slacker]

For anyone thinking of taking the plunge, the State Railway of Thailand website may be of some use.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Slacker

[Hua Ngoo]

If you're coming to Pattaya, may I suggest taking the bus? 2 hrs and not slower than a taxi ride (Ekhamai Bus Station 117 Bt as opposed to taxi 1200Bt)

For Chiang Mai I suggest train one way, from Hua Lompong station,sleeper, for the experience, then fly back.

For Phuket, don't f*ck around, just fly, too far. Plus unsafe on the roads.

[woundedinlove]

There is no train to Phuket.

However you can catch a train to Surat Thani and easily catch a bus to Phuket if you want to.