Train Booking

Here is some information about Thai Train tickets you may need to know before purchasing them.

The State Railway of Thailand is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand.

History:

The SRT was founded as the Royal State Railways of Siam (RSR) in 1890. King Chulalongkorn, King Rama 5 ordered the Department of Railways to be set up under the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning. Construction of the Bangkok- Ayutthaya railway (71 km or 44 mi), the first part of the Northern Line, was started in 1890 and inaugurated on 26 March 1897.

Overnight train sleepers:

• First-class sleepers consist of two full-size bunk beds. See what are the train like?
• Second-class sleepers are assembled from two facing seats to form the bottom or lower bunk. The upper bunk is pulled down and unlocked when the beds are made up.
• All beds use fresh cotton sheets, pillows with cases, and laundered, sealed, towel-like blankets.
• Beds are set up by the train staff at around 9:00 pm and stored away again around 07:00 am.
• In both classes, the beds are around 2m (6.5 ft) in length

Luggage allowance on the trains:

Bags are stored in 1st class passengers rooms. 2nd class coaches have racks beside the berths where luggage is placed.
The State Railway of Thailand allowance is one large suitcase or similar and a carry-on bag per passenger.
Luggage Allowance – 1st class 50 kg; 2nd class 40 kg; others 30 kg
Extra bags are generally not charged and the system is flexible as a staff is mainly very helpful.
Bicycles and other large items can be taken on the carriage of the goods (Extra fee apply). Please contact us if you wish to take a large item that will not fit inside the compartments.

Safety on trains:
Travel police actively patrol every train and incidents of robbery are extremely rare. State Railways of Thailand generally has a good safety record throughout the kingdom and the “train people” of Thailand are generally very professional about their given tasks. As with every form of public transport you should never leave valuables unattended. Bags are stored beside the seat in second class which is illuminated throughout the night.

Joint Ticket:

You’ll need to use buses and boats for some routes where there are no trains, for example Surat Thai to Koh Samui, Surat Thani to Koh Phangan, Surat Thani or Chumphon to Koh Tao, Surat Thani to Krabi or Phuket. We can arrange these joint tickets at the same time when you order to book the train ticket with us.

When does train booking open in Thailand?:

• Booking for long-distance journeys, for example, Bangkok to Chiang Mai or Hat Yai will open 90 days ahead.
• Bookings for journeys that are between 25% & 60% of a long-distance train’s total journey will open 30 days ahead.
• Bookings for journeys that represent 25% of a long-distance train’s total journey will open only 1 day ahead (for example Bangkok to Hua Hin on a long-distance express to Southern Thailand, or Hat Yai to Padang Besar on the Bangkok-Padang Besar train)

Do you need to buy train tickets in advance in Thailand?:

No, if all you want is a 3rd class local ticket such as Bangkok to or from Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin or Aranyaprathet as these are only sold at the station on the day.  Usually, they cannot sell out!

No, even for longer distance trains if you want to stay flexible and are prepared to risk the specific train or class you want being fully-booked.  There are often places available even on the day or a few days before, at least outside peak periods, as long as you’re prepared to take an alternative train, class or date if your first choice is full.  However, sleepers on the best trains do sell out, often several weeks ahead at the peak Thai holiday periods such as New Year (30 December to 3 January) & Songkran (Thai New Year, usually 11-16 April).  To be sure, book ahead if you can.  1st class sleepers usually sell out first, as there’s usually only one 1st class sleeping-car on those trains which have them.

Yes, always book ahead if you want to be sure of a ticket in a specific class on a specific train & date for a long-distance journey as Bangkok to Chiang Mai.  Booking in advance is essential at peak periods.

How to Book Train Ticket in Thailand with Charlie Connection Travel & Tour:

We will book the tickets with the State Railways of Thailand by phone for you. We will get a 10-digit reference confirmation number and STR will allow us within 24 hrs to hold the ticket. We will immediately email you to confirm that your booking has been confirmed along with an online secure payment link which you can pay for the ticket online via our bank payment gateway(Visa and Master card accepted ONLY) Payment must be made to us within 24 hours in order for us to purchase the ticket in time before the deadline

After we have received the payment confirmation. We do all the work for you, such as going to the train station, queuing, purchasing the ticket.

Please send an email to info@travelconnecxion.com or submit the booking form to pre-book your train tickets.
We need your travel date, the full name of each passenger with passport number. Date of birth for children and their height in order to confirm the fares.

Fares:

We charge the regular Thai Railways fare plus a 300 baht (USD9.50) booking fee for second class tickets and a 400Baht(USD12.50) booking fee for a first-class ticket. (No extra fees for online credit card payment)

Child fare with a sleeping berth is applicable only for the child at age 3-12 years old whose height is between 100-150 cm. Because there is no extra bed on the train, one of the two parents will be in a separate compartment sharing room with another passenger in first class.

How to collect your train ticket:

Hard copy tickets can only be issued by the railway office for this means of booking. Thus, you are required to pick up your train tickets from us before going to take the train at the train station.

Your train ticket can be delivered to your hotel in Bangkok city center(downtown area only) on an appointment date or at the main train station in Bangkok at least 60 minutes before your train leaves for free of charge for a minimum order of 3 tickets or more.

We can also courier your train tickets to your home country by DHL or similar way at an additional fee depending upon the country of destination.

Special arrangement for ticket delivery to your hotel in Bangkok on an appointment date or at the main train station in Bangkok at least 60 minutes before your train leaves is available with an extra fee.

Busy periods:

Train Tickets in Thailand usually sold out quickly, especially, first-class and 2nd class sleepers.
There are a few holiday periods when booking ahead is strongly recommended under all circumstances.
The two biggest are New Year (30 December to 3 January) and Songkran (Thai New Year, usually 11-16 April).
If you want to travel during these periods you should definitely pre-book, preferably on the very day booking opens (60 days before departure).

Postponement of your train journey:

• Please board at the originating station specified on the ticket; otherwise, the reservation will be canceled automatically.
• After you have your train ticket in your hand. Postponement of the journey must be made not later than 3 hrs before departure time at any the train ticket office in Thailand against a THB50 fee for each ticket.
• If your train tickets are still with Charlie Connection Travel & Tour. We can help you to postpone your train tickets with a fee of THB50 to STR plus THB100 service charge to us for each ticket and must be notified at least 48 hrs before the departure date.
• The difference in fares and supplementary charges will not be refunded if passengers change options to travel in the lower class.

Cancellation/Refund of your train tickets:

If you have your train ticket with you and you need to cancel your Thailand train tickets and get a refund.
Please note the following rules:

• Contact any STR’s train ticketing office in Thailand with your original train ticket (Copy NOT accepted)
• 20% of the ticket fare will be charged if cancellations made 3 days before the departure
• 50% of the ticket fare will be charged if cancellations are made less than 3 days up to one hours before the departure.
• Non-refundable if cancellations are made less than one hour before the departure.
• Take your Passport along with you when changing ticket dates or canceling your ticket.
• In case of a lost ticket, we assume no responsibilities.

Northern Line:

|Bangkok – Chaing Mai|  |Chaing Mai – Bangkok|

|Bangkok – Lampang| |Bangkok – Phitsanulok|

North Eastern Line:

 |Bangkok – Khon Kaen| |Bangkok – Nongkai| |Bangkok – Ubonratchathani||Bangkok – Surin|

Southern Line:

|Bangkok – Hua Hin| |Bangkok – Chumporn| |Bangkok – Suratthani||Bangkok – Trang|

|Bangkok – Nakhonsri| |Bangkok – Hat Yai| |Bangkok – Suhaikolok| |Bangkok – Butterworth|

Island Combination with bus & Ferry:

|Bangkok – Koh Samui|  |Koh Samui – Bangkok|

|Bangkok – Koh Pangan|  |Koh Pangan – Bangkok|

|Bangkok – Koh Tao|  |Koh Tao – Bangkok|