Train Travel in South Thailand

Phuket has no Railway Station.

Trains in south Thailand run along the coast of the Gulf about 200 km to the east of the island. They come from Bangkok, pass Surat Thani, which is the jump off point for Ko Samui and Phangan to Trang. Also Krabi has no station the nearest is at Trang and the next is Hat Yai with the biggest station in the south, there is no train from Phuket to Krabi.



It is is quite clear that nothing had been done in the last decades to improve anything. Investments are mainly done around Bangkok because the people who handle the financing of projects are living there. With a project thousand kilometers in the south it is difficult to control the money in the right way. 

Train in Thailand

There are some projects with high speed on the horizon 

but again the same scheme, 200 km behind Bangkok all ends and after they wonder why the people in the south get immensely restless. How did Mr. Thaksin tell it when he was still prime minister, "why should I care about people who dont vote for me"?  That tells all. They also call this person "Police Sergeant".

Thai beauty on rails

The crossing into Malaysia is at Padang Besar about 100 to the south west, the road boarder is at Sadao. The train has the stigma of the cheap stuff and it is really low priced.  

The terminal is right in the city center and is decorated with a very old, nicely restored locomotive right in front of the main entrance.

Old Locomotive

Hat Yai Train Station

At Padang Besar the stop at the border to change the carriages, since the coordination between arrival (Thailand) and departure (Malaysia) is not the best it might need to wait for a while.  

Train schedule from
HatYai to Kuala Lumpur

Main Thailand
Train Stations

There are many local stops and after some hours Butterworth is reached, from here is the ferry to Penang and the journey goes on to Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Singapore.

Using the bus on that route

is well organized, no need to wait more than around an hour for the bus connection. At KL terminal in Chinatown you can change to Singapore and other destinations.

Prices from Bangkok to: 

                                                               

                                                            1. Class   2. Class   3.Class

Hua Hin 229km                             Baht       202        102           44

Prachuap Khiri Khan 318km                         272         135          58

Chumphon  485km                                       394          190         82

Lang Suan  549km                                       442          212         92

Chaiya  614km                                             490          234        101

Surat Thani  651km                                      519          248        107

Thung Song  773km                                     608         288         124

Trang  845km                                               660         311         135  

Patthalung  862km                                       675         318         137

Nakhon Si Thammarat  832km                      652         308         133

Hat Yai  945km                                            734          345         149

Pattani  1025km                                          793          372         161

Yala  1055km                                               815          382        165

Tanyongmat  1116km                                    863          404        174

Sungai Kolok  1159km                                  893           417        180


Butterworth (Malaysia for Penang) 1160km                     360

Hat Yai Train Station

Hat Yai Train Station

Hat Yai downtown and train station

Train destinations