Sleeper train Bangkok - Trang - Frankie goes to.....the North of Thailand (2019)

November 25, 2019

Sleeper train Bangkok - Trang

After boarding at the Hualamphong Station I realized the procedure on getting myself and the bike onto this supraregional sleeper train towards Trang might actually be of more interest to other cyclists than the local train from Ayutthaya as it stops in various posssible starting points along the Gulf of Thailand like Hua Hin, Chumphon and Surat Thani. Go for the daily Express train no. 83, departing Bangkok at 17.05 hrs, arriving in Trang at 8.05 am the next day. There is another one going the same way later on but it is much slower and has only one 2nd class carriage as I read on the internet.

What class?

I had briefly considered getting a 1st class ticket but after inspecting the train while still down in Trang before my trip I decided against it. Almost double the price of a 2nd class ticket and you will find yourself in a sort of box with a very low seat, looking at the wall like in the first row of an airplane.

The second class sleeper carriages are in my opinion the best choice. One of the open compartments has two seats facing each other and are allocated not by direction of travel but by upper or lower berth. The upper berth from Bangkok to Trang (or the other way) will come at 781 Baht as you will see on my ticket below. I deliberately went for it not because of the cheaper price but as I thought this would be the better option, for sleeping in particular. It wasn´t! Several degrees C cooler as you are close to the aircon device, trickier to get in and the lack of a window is in my opinion a big deficit as the beds will be made very early and put back to seats very late so you will be stuck in your little cabin until the person in the lower berth decides to get up. Do invest the 90 Baht extra for the lower berth! I was fortunate enough to be able and swap and thoroughly enjoyed the view onto the counryside at sunrise from my personal "viewing platform". So to sum it up: For the whole 15 hour trip you will have to pay 781 Baht for upper, 871 for lower berth. Great value for money!

There are third class carriages too and I would get a ticket on there if I would only travel a fragment of the route like Bangkok to Ratchaburi or Hua Hin to start my cycling just outside the urban Bangkok traffic. Or, while going the other way, from Trang to Surat Thani or Chumphon if headed for a ride along the Gulf towards Bangkok.

How to get your passenger tickets?

I read from people who got their ticket online via the official Thai Railways site or through the reliable ticket broker 12GO Asia.

I personally knew for a long time I would be going back to Trang on Nov 24 so I walked into the Trang station and got my ticket there as these sleeper train tickets are sold 3 months in advance. Make sure you have your passport on you when go to the ticket booth, they only sell personalized ones.

How to get your bicycle ticket?

You cannot buy it in advance as the ticket for yourself. But it is easy-as to get it at the station and I am convinced you will never be told: Sorry, full! Otherwise the worst case scenario would be that the bike follows on the second overnight train. Anyway, in Hualamphong I was told to get to the special cargo counter an hour before departure, very coveniently located at the front end between platforms 10 /11 / 12 . I actually got there 90 minutes earlier as I was keen to have a bite in the Food Court before departure and it was a 1-minute affair. Told the guy what I wanted, paid 96 Baht and got the separate ticket. Then rolled the bike up to the cargo carriage which I was told would always be the first one on the train in he direction of travel. Easy! Enjoyed the whole experience and will certainly do it again even if the tickets with AirAsia or Thai Lion Air to Don Mueang are no more expensive.

PS. Only after I finished my trip I came across this excellent site full of useful information on more or less any supraregional train in Thailand and the neighbouring countries. Look for the particular train you are interested in and click the corresponding "info" button. Any information (schedules, price of tickets, photos of the classes on offer) you might need for your decision!

Happy about the very easy process of taking my heavy bike with me. As I mentioned before Hualamphong is a dead-end station which are ideal for rolling straight onto the platforms. This will change at the end of 2020 by the way as they are building a new huge Central Station a few kilometers out of town at Bang Sue right next to the Chatuchak Weekend Market

You will be asked to take your panniers off and take them to your seat though as....

...the bike will not be in a specific rack but with all the normal cargo. That´s why I decided to pad the tubes. I do look after my trusty companion!

Unfortunately a bit blurry as it was taken with my cheapish mobile phone but I realized I didn´t have any better photos of the actual seats before being converted into beds. About one meter wide and definitely all yours! The guy in the photo by the way is without a doubt Thailand´s biggest snoring talent... One disadvantage of being together in dorm conditions I guess

Being in Thailand you can rest assured you will not starve. Actually a very entertaining part of the journey as vendors will board at every stop selling their products. Any sort of food and drinks, sweets or fruit and vegetables. I decided to go for the restaurant offer onboard. The waiter comes to your seat for the order and delivers as well. I had this Panaeng curry set (orange juice aand soup included) for 130 Baht. Nice, as they will set up a table for you as well

The steward will make the beds on demand and most passengers asked for it soon after departure from Bangkok. If you are in the upper berth without knowing the passenger underneath you will be stuck in that windowless cabin for the rest of the night. Like the girl in the photo

Looks like less space than I experienced it. Each carriage has two toilets and two separate sinks at the far end of this photo

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Henna JanieschReturning from Egypt reading your writings I`ve missed was a must.
I started withe the 10th of November the last report I had read before leaving Germany. I thought I would read 2 or 3 "days" but I tell you I couldnt stop reading the whole story. I love it.
Thanks again that you share your adventure .
Take care, my friend. Hope to meet you again.
Tomorrow we have a VET-meeting in Düsseldorf- Uwe Mainz, Stümmi, Tom Littges, Horst Schewe and I.
I will tell them about your trip and we will have a drink on you.
CU
The old ret. Colonel
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4 years ago

Frank RoettgenTo Henna JanieschMuch appreciated, Helmut! Hope you had a good time in Egypt and managed to restrict your alcohol consumption when being out with the boys..... A bit early but I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas
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4 years ago