Thai train’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it highlight

The train: Special Express 40

• The route Chumphon to Bangkok, Thailand
• Distance 458 kilometres
• Duration 8 hours, 47 minutes
• Operator State Railway of Thailand
• Class Second class AC, non-sleeper
• Frequency once Daily

The journey

The economical Special Express 40.Credit: Getty Images

This scenic route, running up the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand, is definitely best enjoyed on a daylight journey. The 458-kilometre trip from Chumphon to Bangkok takes eight hours and 47 minutes.

Special Express 40 Second Class AC non-sleeper, operated by State Railway of Thailand, is one of nine daily services on the line, and the fastest by any of the standard Thai trains. The one quicker journey is the Chinese-built, Special Express 32, which does a seven-hour, 16-minutes journey at night.

Chumphon train station is known for its yesteryear architecture. Credit: Getty Images

The ride, on narrow-gauge, one-metre rails, is rocky at times. (A major upgrade is in progress on this main north-south line.) With three intermediate stations and various lay-bys, this isn’t a high-speed journey, so you sit back and enjoy the scenery of Thailand’s three western seaboard provinces, Chumphon, Prachuap Kiri Khan and Phetchaburi. Towns, rivers, jungles and paddy fields roll by, plus rubber plantations and millions of palm oil trees, but there are few coastal views.

On the left side of the train, the 1700-kilometre Tenasserim Hills (a final spur of the Himalayan Range) rises, forming an international barrier. Where the Isthmus of Kra pinches here at Wang Duan just south of Prachuap Khiri Khan town, a sign proclaims The Narrowest Point of Thailand. It’s just 11 kilometres from the Gulf beachfront to the Myanmar border, but blink and you’ll miss it. After a brief stop at Hua Hin’s spectacular new station, Special Express 40 rumbles on and three and a half hours later, arrives on time at Bangkok’s huge new airport-like Krung Thep Aphiwat central station.

Scenic highlights… Hua Hin’s huge new elevated station is opposite the original station.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

The carriage

The ageing car has seen better days but it’s clean and well maintained. Everything works, including the chilly air-conditioned temperature (as Thais seem to like it). The crew collects rubbish on regular walk-throughs. There’s no PA system but the guard announces the approaching stations in Thai. Smoking isn’t permitted.

Carbon emissions

A total of 12 kilograms for this rail journey, compared with 62 kilograms by plane.

The scenic Phetchaburi province is home to Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The seat

Seats are numbered and allocated according to your ticket. After boarding, a uniformed conductor scans your ticket. My seat, number four in car three at the rear of the three-car train, is adequately cushioned and the seatback recline works. The car pre-dates installation of USB ports and power sockets on passenger trains, but there is a workable Wi-Fi signal. A toilet at the entrance of each car is clean and functioning.

Baggage

There is no apparent restriction on luggage, which is accommodated in plenty of overhead stowage space and in spaces at each end of the car.

Food + drink

BYO but no alcohol may be consumed. On-board snack vendors, once a national tradition, seem to be disappearing from Thai trains. The crew distribute cooked noodle or rice meals that passengers have ordered earlier in the journey. There is no dining car.

One more thing

Seats are limited, so reservations are advised, especially if you anticipate travelling in Thai holiday seasons.

The price

The fare is $30 (673 Thai baht).

The verdict

An economical and comfortable way to experience Thailand mostly in the company of Thais.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer travelled at his own expense.