The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is ready to inaugurate its first train service from Bangkok to Vientiane next Friday. This is confronting an issue as their online ticket booking system crashed today, within hours of its launch at 9am. As a result, people who want to use the new train service have to visit the train stations to book their tickets.

 

The service offers three types of tickets for the passengers. A single trip costs 281 baht in the 3rd class, 574 baht in the 2nd class with air conditioning, and for the sleeper class, upper bunk costs 784 baht while lower bunk costs 874 baht.

 

The train is scheduled to depart from the Bang Sue terminal at 9.25 pm and reach Nong Khai province by 7.55 am the next day. The train will halt for about 40 minutes for immigration procedures, after which it will resume its journey to Vientiane, expected to arrive by 9.05 am.

 

 

The SRT informed that passengers will have to go through immigration checks twice, once at Nong Khai station and again at Vientiane Khamsavath station. For passengers aiming to board the Chinese high-speed train traveling to Kunming, they will have to take a trip to the respective train station located about 16km away from Vientiane Khamsavath station.

 

In a separate development, people traveling in Laos can now make payments using the Bank of Ayudhya app instead of cash for different transactions. Moreover, by the year-end, they will also be able to make transactions through applications of Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai, and Kasikorn bank.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-07-11

 

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They surely do have speedy trains! 12h for the trip!!!??? 

The booking system crashed on the first day already...... The digital wallet will be like Mor Prom app, the 90 days app, and many more too..... crashing, not working because Thailand and digital apps are not working very well although Thailand is the hub

13 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

They surely do have speedy trains! 12h for the trip!!!??? 

I was thinking that too?

Some day, in the future, the 1 metre gauge track will be upgraded to broad gauge with new locos and rolling stock and high-speed trains will speed their joyous passengers in comfort to their destination.

 

At this point I woke up.

sounds good.

 

I may have to book myself a bed soon..

 

No private, 1st cabins available? I don't mind paying more.

 

bob.

sounds good.

 

I may have to book myself a bed soon..

 

No private, 1st cabins available? I don't mind paying more.

 

bob.

 

You can book an upper and a lower bunk and the whole cabin is yours.....

Crossing the frontier will probably take two hours.  Might be a better idea to get off at the border, do your own paperwork, then cross into Lao and get a taxi or baht-bus.

I've taken the bus from Bkk to Nong Khai a few times, takes about 12 hours as well.

 

27 minutes ago, bendejo said:

Crossing the frontier will probably take two hours.  Might be a better idea to get off at the border, do your own paperwork, then cross into Lao and get a taxi or baht-bus.

I've taken the bus from Bkk to Nong Khai a few times, takes about 12 hours as well.

I believe so, and apparently, regular service available now to Nong Khai is faster, if on time 🙄

 

 

Bang Su to Nong Khai ...

10.5 hrs to travel <611 kms = 58 kph = 36 mph 

22 minutes ago, bendejo said:

Crossing the frontier will probably take two hours.  Might be a better idea to get off at the border, do your own paperwork, then cross into Lao and get a taxi or baht-bus.

I've taken the bus from Bkk to Nong Khai a few times, takes about 12 hours as well.

 

Depends where you want to go. There used to be a train from Nong Khai to Vientiane, but it just went across the river, think you did immigration on the Laos side and then you had to make your way into the town. That was stopped before covid and don't think it ever resumed.

The new service may be of benefit to some. If however you plan on getting the HS train the station is some distance out of the town and you would be better off getting off at Nong Khai, a tuk tuk to the bridge and then the bus from the Laos border post to the new HS station. You could be across the bridge in the 40 minutes the train is sat there.

 

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I believe so, and apparently, regular service available now to Nong Khai is faster, if on time 🙄

 

 

Bang Su to Nong Khai ...

10.5 hrs to travel <611 kms = 58 kph = 36 mph 

More to do with the other end, I think the train will stop at Thanaleng, as far as I am aware there is no station in the town.

 

 

13 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Bang Su to Nong Khai ...

10.5 hrs to travel <611 kms = 58 kph = 36 mph 

 

To be fair it does make a few stops, like the food court in Korat for maybe a half-hour, a fuel stop, maybe some dallying at the terminal in Udon Thani, etc.  Also between UT and NK the buses will be flagged down by Immigration Officers looking for Lao people to shake down. 

The bus to Nong Khai will drop you off a block away from the Thai exit post.  Usually.  One night it dropped me off at a terminal on the other side of town.

 

10 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I think the train will stop at Thanaleng

Vientiane (Khamsavath) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamsavath_railway_station

3 minutes ago, bendejo said:

Also between UT and NK the buses will be flagged down by Immigration Officers looking for Lao people to shake down. 

The bus to Nong Khai will drop you off a block away from the Thai exit post.  Usually.  One night it dropped me off at a terminal on the other side of town.

Nice joking but did you read the OP?

4 minutes ago, bendejo said:

 

To be fair it does make a few stops, like the food court in Korat for maybe a half-hour, a fuel stop, maybe some dallying at the terminal in Udon Thani, etc.  Also between UT and NK the buses will be flagged down by Immigration Officers looking for Lao people to shake down. 

The bus to Nong Khai will drop you off a block away from the Thai exit post.  Usually.  One night it dropped me off at a terminal on the other side of town.

 

From UT, you can take the bus straight to border, or Vientiane if through Imm fast enough.   I've taken that in the past.

 

I used to pop over every 90 days, before extending visa in country.  Was great for picking up a few bottles of Bailey's.   Worth the trip in itself, Beer Lao on tap, along with the decent Bánh mì munching, saving a trip to Nam.

 

Anything to get out of UT for a few days.   Vientiane surely has changed over the years. 

3 hours ago, sandyf said:

Depends where you want to go. There used to be a train from Nong Khai to Vientiane, but it just went across the river, think you did immigration on the Laos side and then you had to make your way into the town. That was stopped before covid and don't think it ever resumed.

The new service may be of benefit to some. If however you plan on getting the HS train the station is some distance out of the town and you would be better off getting off at Nong Khai, a tuk tuk to the bridge and then the bus from the Laos border post to the new HS station. You could be across the bridge in the 40 minutes the train is sat there.

 

I was unaware that it stopped I think you mean after covid lockdown, but I have used from BKK to Nongkhai, before covid, daytime run as I wanted to see the countryside, then slept in a place opposite the Station , got the train across next day. At that time a female Tuk Tuk driver told us she was no longer allowed to drive across.  Even old Cha Cha went across. They could have Immigration board the train before the boarder and do on board checking, as they used to on the Tran-Siberian (they even checked under the seats.)

 

6 hours ago, Digitalbanana said:

Vientiane (Khamsavath) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamsavath_railway_station

Thanks,  the article gave no indication which station was going to be used.

When I came back last year from Luang prabang there was no passenger train over the bridge.

2 hours ago, brianthainess said:

I was unaware that it stopped I think you mean after covid lockdown,

 

Yes I meant after covid, was running last time I went to NK before covid, didn't bother with it as it only went to Thanaleng. Took the bus from NK bus station to Vientiane bus station.

Last year when I got off at the new HS station was told it wasn't running,  only buses to Vientiane bus station and the border post at the bridge.

Looks like the new service goes a bit nearer  the town.

 

13 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Yes I meant after covid, was running last time I went to NK before covid, didn't bother with it as it only went to Thanaleng. Took the bus from NK bus station to Vientiane bus station.

Last year when I got off at the new HS station was told it wasn't running,  only buses to Vientiane bus station and the border post at the bridge.

Looks like the new service goes a bit nearer  the town.

 

Last time I took the bus ( a very long time ago) it pissed off and left some still waiting for their visa, I just managed to get on as it pulled away, at Vientiane bus station I took out a French guys bag, ( I could have been anyone) and sat a while with it, he eventually turned up in a Taxi, and I gave it to him, as I said if it is a through train then immigration should board the train before the boarder to stop delays, but as with most things here they have not thought it through. 

10 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Last time I took the bus ( a very long time ago) it pissed off and left some still waiting for their visa, I just managed to get on as it pulled away, at Vientiane bus station I took out a French guys bag, ( I could have been anyone) and sat a while with it, he eventually turned up in a Taxi, and I gave it to him, as I said if it is a through train then immigration should board the train before the boarder to stop delays, but as with most things here they have not thought it through. 

When I took the bus, they did advise us, they will leave without you.  I believe the actual policy was, not to even accept foreign customers without the visa already in hand.

 

Also told us, to take our bag (carry on) with us.  Any other, UP2U, and it might be at bus (morning market) station office when you do arrive.

 

Return was always hassle free.  My last time was August 2013 (?), and the last time I entered TH.

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

When I took the bus, they did advise us, they will leave without you.  I believe the actual policy was, not to even accept foreign customers without the visa already in hand.

 

Also told us, to take our bag (carry on) with us.  Any other, UP2U, and it might be at bus (morning market) station office when you do arrive.

 

Return was always hassle free.  My last time was August 2013 (?), and the last time I entered TH.

It was before E-visas when I went the first time, some 20+yrs ago, yes I'm an old barstard.

1 minute ago, brianthainess said:

It was before E-visas when I went the first time, some 20+yrs ago, yes I'm an old barstard.

I didn't know about e visas, if available.  Only place to get a visa before going, was at Khon Kaen.  If you didn't make it through Imm at Laos side, it was still the easiest & cheapest way to get there & especially return, bar self driving.

 

Which I did one time, and actually quite easy to do.   And ... you get to stock up on anything you want to bring back, as they simply didn't check your car, surprisingly.

I spent a bit of time in Vientiane.  I did monthly visa runs to NK, with a stop at Tesco.  Also got cash from the Thai ATMs.  Before 2009 or so, there was about a dozen ATMs in all of Lao, usually out of order.

One time I went to VTE immigration for a ten-day extension: it would have been easier to do a visa run.

 

15 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Last time I took the bus ( a very long time ago) it pissed off and left some still waiting for their visa, I just managed to get on as it pulled away, at Vientiane bus station I took out a French guys bag, ( I could have been anyone) and sat a while with it, he eventually turned up in a Taxi, and I gave it to him, as I said if it is a through train then immigration should board the train before the boarder to stop delays, but as with most things here they have not thought it through. 

Indeed, we had a close call with the bus. I was with my wife and her 2 nieces, one of them didn't have a passport so the 3 of them went through the temporary pass control which had quite a queue. I had to plead with the bus not to go without them. The woman from the bus took me back through immigration to find them and she took them to the front of the queue, all a bit fraught.

There is a border post at Thanaleng station and I suspect that is what will be used, a bit like it was at Pedang Besar on the Butterworth train. These days they are going to want the ability to do a luggage check. When I went to Pakse on a bus we had all to get off with our luggage at the border.

15 hours ago, brianthainess said:

It was before E-visas when I went the first time, some 20+yrs ago, yes I'm an old barstard.

The time I went with the wife and nieces, I got my visa in NK the day before crossing the bridge.

Fly.

1 minute ago, sandyf said:

The time I went with the wife and nieces, I got my visa in NK the day before crossing the bridge.

we just got ours at the boarder at that time, But if they want to speed up the process, then they could dedicate certain carriages to those going across the boarder, and have immigration board the train say 2 stops before. That's how it was done on the eastern block trans-Siberian, and that was in 1988, and that was a 7 day trip from Beijing to West Germany, one night stop in Moscow. 

11 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

we just got ours at the boarder at that time, But if they want to speed up the process, then they could dedicate certain carriages to those going across the boarder, and have immigration board the train say 2 stops before. That's how it was done on the eastern block trans-Siberian, and that was in 1988, and that was a 7 day trip from Beijing to West Germany, one night stop in Moscow. 

I retract my previous comment regarding Thanaleng. I wasn't aware that Khamsavath was a brand new station, only opened in October 2023. A bit surprising as the new HS station is not far away.

Being brand new there is no reason why there couldn't have been both Thai and Laos immigration facilities at the station avoiding any need for immigration check in NK.

I went on the Eurostar a few weeks ago and both immigration are side by side, just the one queue is a real bonus.