Hua Lamphong = Bangkok station
You collect your tickets from the 12Go.Asia collection office, on Hualamphong station concourse on one of the two 1st-floor rows of shops.
Bangkok Train Station ( Hua Lamphong)
About Bangkok Railway Stations / Other Bangkok Rail Connections / Services
Bangkok - Hualamphong Station (Krungthep) - Bangkok's Main Railway
Station, Hua Lamphong Train Station, is a huge, extremely busy, steaming hot,
hanger-like building with over 20 platforms, 26 ticket booths, an Advance-Booking
Office, the usual distorted announcements, and two electric display boards.
Hua-lumpong Station is in the center of the city with easy access to Chinatown,
the Chao phraya River, Silom and Sukhumvit areas so you can save on taxi fares
and travelling time. Hualamphong Station is on Rama 4 Road, 1 km West of Silom
in the Pathum Wan district. Platforms in the station are crowded with luggage carts, piles
of boxes and baggage, arriving and departing passengers, pushcart vendors, and
various platfrom residents (dogs, cats, and beggars). The platforms inside Bangkok's
Hualamphong Rail Station resemble an 'obstacle-course'.
Tickets for trains leaving the same or next day can be bought on the
counters under the red/orange/green screens. For the Advance Booking Office,
walk back towards the platforms from the main entrance, and you should see the
'Advance Booking' sign on the far right. Hualamphong's Advance-Booking Office
is quite well-organised. When you enter, take a numbered ticket from the machine
and wait for your number to appear on the monitor. There may be a long line,
so allow time to wait. There is a train plan posted, so you can select your
own seat/berth when you book a ticket. You can pay by cash or by credit card.
Reservations are computerized, and your ticket will have the train time and
seat / berth number printed on it.
Food - If you arrive at the station hungry, don't worry, as there are
many dining choices inside. Options include coffee shops, restaurants, a cafeteria,
several 'fast-food' outlets, convenience stores, and platform vendors. The vendors
sell everything from bar-be-qued chicken and fruit to bottles of whisky, beer
and soft drinks.
Station Services include several travel agencies, a 'left-luggage' office,
a 'Mail Boxes Etc.' (a Mailing / Packing / Shipping / Courier Service), a 'Rail Travel
Aids Counter' (for maps, information, timetables, answers to train-related
questions),
an ATM, showers in the toilets, and a Tourist Police Box. Avoid the travel agencies
outside the station (there are too many to count). Hualamphong Station has a
good Tourist Office. Only talk to the people working at the 'Information Desk'.
Avoid the 'touts' wearing very 'official-looking' badges who may offer to help
you find a hotel. The left luggage facility is at the opposite end of the station,
as you head for the station exit, on the far right.
Getting To / From Hualamphong Central Rail Station by Local City Transit
- Since 2004 the station has been connected to the MRT subway system at
Hualamphong Station. There is also 'Chao Phraya River Taxi' (see
Bangkok Metro Section) access to Hualamphong
Rail Station if you walk through Chinatown to Tha Ratchawong Pier, but the path
is a bit tricky. The taxi stand is to the left of the platforms as you walk
towards them. There is no organized 'line' for hiring a taxi, so you may have
to fight for one during busy periods. Also, you may find even the 'Metered'
taxis refusing to turn on their 'meters'. If this happens, get their badge number
and report them to station authorities. There are City Bus Stops next to and
across from Hualamphong Station for cheap and convenient transportation to all
points in the Bangkok Area, including the Long-Distance Bus Terminals. You can
also use 'Tuk-Tuks' and Motorbike Taxi's to get to/from the Station. (See
Bangkok Metro - Subways, Sky Train, River Taxi, City Bus & Long-Distance
Bus Terminals )
Quick Facts About Thai Railways Bangkok Train Service
- Hualamphong serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers per day.
BANGKOK - How to Get to / from Bangkok by Thai Railways - Bangkok's is the Central Railway 'Hub' for the whole country. All Northern, Southern, Northeastern, and Eastern Train Lines have Hualamphong Rail Station as their first or final stop. Trips on Thailand's Western Routes depart from Thonburi Rail Station, across the Chao Phraya River. All North / Northeast-bound trains also make a stop at Don Muang Rail Station (opposite Don Muang International Airport) for convenient air/rail transfer. Train services to/from all of Thailand's Regions (North, Northeast, East, Central, and South) originate and end at Bangkok's Hualamphong Station. Bang Sue is the Main Thai Railways Junction in and out of Bangkok for all Lines N, S, NE, W. For Eastern Line Train Services, Chachoeng Sao is the Main Junction out of Bangkok, and Makkasan Station is the main SRT Depot. Every kind of Train Service can be found in and out of Bangkok.
OTHER BANGKOK STATIONS
Bangkok - Thonburi Railway Station (Bangkok Noi) - Thonburi Rail Station
is across the Chao Phraya River from Central Bangkok, so it is harder to get
to/from this Station. Thonburi Station can only be reached by 'Chao
Phraya River Taxi'. There is a 'Tha Rotfai' ('Railway
pier') on each side of the river, and Chao Phraya 'Cross-River Ferries' cross
the river all day between the two piers, with songtaew (pickup-truck bus) service
to/from Thonburi Rail Staion. Trips on Thailand's Western ('Short Line') Routes
depart from Thonburi Rail Station. The weekend-only 2nd class (Air-Conditioned)
'tourist' trains to Kanchanaburi/Nam Tok (Thai Railways Western Line) depart
from Hualamphong Station. Bangkok-Area Commuter Rail Travel departs from Thonburi
Rail Station as well.
Bangkok - Don Muang Rail Station (Old Airport) - All North / Northeast-bound
trains make a stop at a small station opposite Bangkok's Don Muang Airport (50 minutes
from central Bangkok). Don Muang Rail Station is perfect for direct air / rail
connections to those destinations, so you can avoid Central Bangkok altogether.
