International Railroad Discussion > Thailand Chiang Mai to Bangkok photos

I recently went to Thailand. The first railway adventure was an overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand, about 470 miles north of Bangkok. According to Wikipedia, Chiang Mai was the capital of a separate Lan Na Kingdom, but “By 1909, Lan Na Kingdom no longer existed formally as an independent state” and was merged into Thailand. The Lan Na language and written letters are not the same as Thai. A tour guide told me they resembled Burmese, but I do not know if this is true or not.

There are several trains from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. In January 2023 the trains from Chiang Mai and all other long distance trains switched from the Hua Lamphong Railway station to the new and very large Krung Thep Aphiwat Station.  I rode overnight Train 10 the "Special Express CNR."
Picture 1 is the route map.
Picture 2 is the front of the station.
Picture 3 is a steam engine on display next to the parking lot.

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Picture 4 is a sign inside the station.  Notice the elephant prominently displayed.

Picture 5 is the train status board.  I tried several times, but could not get the camera to take a picture when the text was in English.  The upper part is departures.  The lower part is arrivals.  Train 9 is the return counterpart of the Train 10 I rode.

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Picture 6 is the outside of the car.  Very nice smooth metal.

Picture 7 is the train number and endpoints posted on the outside of the car.

Picture 8 is the route map that was displayed inside the car.  This photo was taken at the start of the trip, and the display was updated as the train traveled.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/26 05:52 by dengor55.

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I boarded my room a while before departure, and there was time to settle in.  The room had a sink, towels and soap.  Toilets and shower were down the hall.  Everything was very clean.

When the trip began, a State Railway of Thailand (SRT) employee came to my room to take my order for dinner and breakfast.  She showed me a menu card, which contained pictures of the available items and descriptions in both Thai and English. The employee made it clear that there would be a knock on my door at specific time for breakfast and I better open the door!!  Very polite and very clear!!  She also mentioned that smoking and alcohol are not allowed on SRT trains.  I then paid for both meals with cash.  The dinner was promptly brought to my room.  Breakfast was brought at the mentioned time.  I enjoyed both.  

The top two pictures are the room before the bed was made, and then after it was made.  SRT is meter gauge.  Even though this is narrower that US gauge, I did not feel cramped - a very roomy feeling.

The last picture is the water bottle that was in the room when I arrived.  It shows a picture of the Krung Thep Aphiwat Station in Bangkok.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/26 05:58 by dengor55.

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Neat. How full/busy was the train? And probably not very expensive? Just need photos of the breakfast and dinner.

My car was full.  I did did not walk the train to determine how full it was.  Based on the large number of people exiting in Bangkok, I estimate that it was pretty full.

At current exchange rates, the fare for single person in a room was $58 US.  I originally paid for 2 people in the room, but after the trip, I got a refund so I paid the single person, private room rate.

The two meals were extra, not much, but I cannot recall what they cost.  Also, I was too busy eating to take photos of the meals.  I do remember that the meals came in plastic containers that were shrink-wrapped.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/26 03:36 by dengor55.

Looks like at least part of a curvy route