Richard Barrow's Thai Train Guide

International Train Trips

This page will eventually be information about taking international train trips starting from Thailand. I will be doing on the ground research for all of these to make it the most up-to-date guide possible. In the meantime, I will be using this page to plan my trip. The following are my notes so far for my international trip from Bangkok to Malaysia and Singapore and back.

International Train Trip: October 2022

THAILAND:

DAY 1-2: Express No. 51 sleeper Bangkok to Chiang Mai (10:00pm-12:10pm)

DAY 2: Train arrives after lunch. Stay in a hotel near the station.

DAY 3: Day trip to “White Railway Bridge” – No. 408 there and No. 407 back

DAY 4: Special Express No. 8 day train Chiang Mai to Bangkok (8:50am-7:25pm)

 

DAY 1: Day train from Bangkok to Hua Hin. Night in Hua Hin.
  • Special Express No. 43 from Bangkok to Hua Hin
    • Time: 7:50am-12:05pm
    • Distance: 229 kilometres
    • Duration: 4 hours and 15 minutes
    • Ticket Price: 412 Baht (2nd class A/C))
    • Book tickets: www.dticket.railway.co.th
  • Night at Centara Grand Beach Resort (one night)
DAY 2: Hua Hin during the day. Sleeper train at night.
  • Full day in Hua Hin.
  • Special Express No. 31 from Hua Hin to Hat Yai Junction 
    • Time: 7:07pm-7:25am +1
    • Distance: 716 kilometres
    • Duration: 12 hours and 18 minutes
    • Ticket Price: 1,029 Baht (lower berth)
    • Book tickets: www.dticket.railway.co.th
  • Night on the sleeper train
DAY 3: All day in Hat Yai/Songkhla, Night in Hat Yai.
  • Arrive in Hat Yai at 7:25am
  • Full day in Hat Yai. Might do a side trip to Songkhla to check out the old station on the now defunct line
  • Night at The Train Hotel Hat Yai (one night)
DAY 4: Early train to Malaysian border and then the night in Penang.
  • Commuter No. 947 from Hat Yai to Padang Besar
    • Time: 7:30am-8:25am
    • Distance: 45 kilometres
    • Duration: 55 minutes
    • Ticket Price: 50 Baht
    • Book tickets: Buy at station
DAY 4: Cross the Malaysian border and then the night in Penang.

MALAYSIA: (Time difference: Thailand +1)

  • KTM No. 2951 Padang Besar to Butterworth 
  • Boat to Penang
  • Night in Penang (two nights)
DAY 5: All day and night in Penang
  • Exploring Penang
    • Habitat Penang Hill
    • Street Art in George Town
  • Night in Penang
DAY 6: Train to KL Sentral and night in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Boat to Butterworth
  • ETS No. EP9175 Butterworth to KL Sentral
    • Time: 12:45pm-5:00pm
    • Duration: 4 hours and 15 minutes
    • Ticket price in Business Class: MYR 150 (1,230 Baht)
    • Book tickets: online.ktmb.com.my
    • Timetable: ETS Timetable
  • Night in Kuala Lampur (two nights)
DAY 7: All day and night in Kuala Lumpur
  • Explore Kuala Lumpur
    • Petronas Twin Towers
  • Night in Kuala Lumpur
DAY 8: All day on trains. Night in Singapore.
  • ETS No. EG9321 KL Sentral to Gemas 
  • ETS Express No. 45 from Gemas to JB Sentral
  • KTM ST91 from JB Sentral to Woodlands, Singapore

SINGAPORE:

DAY 9-10: All day and night in Singapore
  • Three nights and two full days in Singapore
    • Supertree Grove
    • Singapore Cable Car
DAY 11: Travel back to Malaysia and night on sleeper train.
  • KTM S

MALAYSIA:

  • Intercity Express No. 26 – Sleeper from JB Sentral to Tumpat 
    • Time: 8:25pm-12:54pm +1
    • Duration: 16 hours and 29 minutes
    • Ticket price: MYR 56 (459 Baht)
    • Book tickets: online.ktmb.com.my
    • Timetable: ktmb.com.my
DAY 12: Arrive in Tumpet, bus to Su-Ngai Kolok, cross into Thailand.

THAILAND:

  • One night in Su-ngai Kolok, Thailand
DAY 13: Sleeper train to Bangkok
  • Rapid No. 172 – Sleeper from Su-Ngai Kolok to Bangkok
    • Time: 12:00pm-11:15am +1
    • Distance: 1,159 kilometres
    • Duration: 23 hours and 15 minutes
    • Ticket Price: 897 Baht (lower berth)
    • Book tickets: www.dticket.railway.co.th

DAY 14: Arrive in Bangkok. End of trip.