Kanchanburi - rail fare ?

[Simbo]

A friend of mine, who frequents Thailand and particularly enjoys trips to Kanchanburi, tells me, he always takes a trip on the tourist train ( the wooden one)

The fare is 17 baht. This time, it is still 17 baht, but 100 baht for foriegners. He also tells me that the railway is paid for by overseas charities.

Has anyone got a more detailed on this apparent unfair practice.

[skylar]

The actual train fare itself from Thonburi to Kanchanaburi is one price. This price is 35 baht or so from memory as of February 2005. I think what your friend is referring to by saying the "tourist train" is the Death Railway ride. This goes from Kanchanaburi train station to Nam Tok (Translation: waterfall). I have a leaflet here in front of me, which you can pick up at Kanchanaburi Station, which reads thus.... I am warning you of long winded pitch about to start:

"State Railway of Thailand in cooperation with Train Travel Tour Co., Ltd

recalling the "Great World War"

The Trans River Kwai Death Railway

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Daily Departure Time, 10:30 AM

From Kanchanaburi Station to Nam Tok Station by special railcar No.257

<insert a picture of the railtrack on the bridge, another picture with railtrack in the forest and another picture with the train on the bridge at night with fireworks in the sky; then 3 paragraphs of WWII stuff>

This deal includes

Train fare and seat

Coffee and soft drink

Insurance of 100,000 baht per seat

Certificate of pride by TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Kanchanaburi

The Trans-River Death Railway Programme is a special offer for tourists only

<insert more beaut pics, new and old of the Bridge>

NOTICE This offer is subject to change without advance notice depending on bad weather or train delay

Charge for the whole programme

ADULT 300 baht per seat (KANCHANABURI - NAM TOK)

CHILD 150 baht per seat (TAKILEN-NAM TOK)

for more information and reservation please contact: Train travel Tour Co., Ltd

378 Tharua, Tamaka, Kanchanaburi, Thailand 71130 TEL 034-561 052 etc...

Kanchanaburi Train Station 034-511285

For the record, Thai prices for everything are written using Thai numbers at the train station. I can't really remember what was written, just that the farang prices were vastly different to the Thai prices.

[Simbo]

The actual train fare itself from Thonburi to Kanchanaburi is one price. This price is 35 baht or so from memory as of February 2005. I think what your friend is referring to by saying the "tourist train" is the Death Railway ride. This goes from Kanchanaburi train station to Nam Tok (Translation: waterfall). I have a leaflet here in front of me, which you can pick up at Kanchanaburi Station, which reads thus.... I am warning you of long winded pitch about to start:

"State Railway of Thailand in cooperation with Train Travel Tour Co., Ltd

recalling the "Great World War"

The Trans River Kwai Death Railway

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Daily Departure Time, 10:30 AM

From Kanchanaburi Station to Nam Tok Station by special railcar No.257

<insert a picture of the railtrack on the bridge, another picture with railtrack in the forest and another picture with the train on the bridge at night with fireworks in the sky; then 3 paragraphs of WWII stuff>

This deal includes

Train fare and seat

Coffee and soft drink

Insurance of 100,000 baht per seat

Certificate of pride by TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Kanchanaburi

The Trans-River Death Railway Programme is a special offer for tourists only

<insert more beaut pics, new and old of the Bridge>

NOTICE This offer is subject to change without advance notice depending on bad weather or train delay

Charge for the whole programme

ADULT 300 baht per seat (KANCHANABURI - NAM TOK)

CHILD 150 baht per seat (TAKILEN-NAM TOK)

for more information and reservation please contact: Train travel Tour Co., Ltd

378 Tharua, Tamaka, Kanchanaburi, Thailand 71130 TEL 034-561 052 etc...

Kanchanaburi Train Station 034-511285

For the record, Thai prices for everything are written using Thai numbers at the train station. I can't really remember what was written, just that the farang prices were vastly different to the Thai prices.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for that very informative piece of info. I shall pas it on. Cheers.

[Pudgimelon]

The actual train fare itself from Thonburi to Kanchanaburi is one price. This price is 35 baht or so from memory as of February 2005. I think what your friend is referring to by saying the "tourist train" is the Death Railway ride. This goes from Kanchanaburi train station to Nam Tok (Translation: waterfall). I have a leaflet here in front of me, which you can pick up at Kanchanaburi Station, which reads thus.... I am warning you of long winded pitch about to start:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My wife and I went up to Jungle Raft (which I highly recommend) a while back and in order to get there we had to take the trail from Kanchanaburi to the terminal station and then a boat up the river to the rafts.

At the train station, they tried to sell me the 300 baht ticket, but my wife wouldn't hear it and insisted that I pay the same rate as every other Thai boarding that train.

So there may be a "tourist train" and a regular commuter train, but they both use the same track and go to the same stations. So I'd recommend you just buy a regular ticket and ignore any other option.

Also, if you do go to Jungle Raft, be very careful about a scam that almost ensnared my wife and me.

The Jungle Raft website lists the phone numbers of the train company, and it also lists the website URL, but the phone number on that website is actually a travel agent and not the train company itself. However, the agent who took our call acted as if he was a representative of the hotel, and he told us to get off a few stops before the end of the line and he would pick us up and take us to the Jungle Raft boats.

This was completely false. If you want to go to Jungle Raft, you go to the end of the line and the boats are waiting right there. We didn't know this, of course, so we got off at the stop he told us to get off at, but when we called him to pick us up, his phone was mysteriously "shut off".

"Fortunately", there was a hotel (named "Jungle Raft Boathouse" or something similar) at that stop which "fortunately" had rooms available which "fortunately" overlooked a bar which featured excruiatingly loud karaoke (you could literally hear it 5kms away and I'm not exaggerating), and they would "fortunately" offer us a "discount" on the room for the low, low price of 3000 baht.

Scam.

Mind you this place was literally in the middle of nowhere and there were no more trains that night, so we had only two choices: fork over 3000 baht to stay in a room whose walls literally vibrated from the karaoke music, or hit the highway.

We chose the highway, and fortunately ran into some nice rice farmers who put us up in their place (for free) and then drove us up to the proper Jungle Raft dock the next day.

So be very careful when booking transportation in Kanchanaburi. Make sure that you are actually talking to the hotel or travel company and not some agent whose going to redirect you to some tourist trap and then strand you there (probably pocketing a nice kickback for himself in the process).

Edited November 6, 2005 by Pudgimelon

[Kan Win]

This was completely false.  If you want to go to Jungle Raft, you go to the end of the line and the boats are waiting right there.        

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So are your words completely false as the Line Ends HERE. Just a little bit further up say 75 meters or so.

For a bigger pic click on this

You have to cross the "Duel Cabbage Way" (Road) to get to the River Kwae Noi as it is on the other side of the road. This IS were the train ends up.

Never seen a boat on this side only ones on a trailer BTW.

Re Scam, thank you for the post I will tell all about this one.

Have fun.

Kan Win

[skylar]

At the train station, they tried to sell me the 300 baht ticket, but my wife wouldn't hear it and insisted that I pay the same rate as every other Thai boarding that train.

So there may be a "tourist train" and a regular commuter train, but they both use the same track and go to the same stations.  So I'd recommend you just buy a regular ticket and ignore any other option.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So how much did you pay for the ticket? You were lucky to have your wife there to stand up for you.

And I found my Thonburi-Kanchanaburi ticket... it was actually 25 baht.

[brianbrain]

I've taken the train several times from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok at the end of the line. If you take the first train of the morning, as I did, you can pay the Thai price which is about 17 baht. I was the only white guy on the train. Another time I tried to take a later train (about 9 or 10am) and was told that foreigners had to pay 100 baht per ticket. It was very busy with tourists and I was the only guy complaining.

Despite my protestations (in Thai) they refused to let me pay the regular price. I would have walked away out of principle but I was with a friend at the time who really wanted to take the ride. For that 100 baht per person, we got regular seats like the other Thai passengers. There was a "special" tourist carriage for 300 baht per seat (I think) but it was empty.

On the way back we jumped on the train at one of the minor stations and forgot to buy our tickets.

A friend of mine, who frequents Thailand and particularly enjoys trips to Kanchanburi, tells me, he always takes a trip on the tourist train ( the wooden one)

The fare is 17 baht. This time, it is still 17 baht, but 100 baht for foriegners. He also tells me that the railway is paid for by overseas charities.

Has anyone got a more detailed on this apparent unfair practice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[hyperdimension]

Are they still charging 100 THB?

What are the possible ways to avoid the unfair 100 THB farang price and pay the actual Thai price? I guess one way is to get a Thai friend to buy for you, but what if you are not traveling with any Thais?

I've just checked the fares on the State Railway of Thailand web site (English version):

Thon Buri to Nam Tok is 39 THB

Thon Buri to Kanchanaburi is 25 THB

Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok is 17 THB

I would have thought that they'd show the farang price in the English version.

Exactly which route is the one that they charge farangs 100 THB? Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok? So are farangs who only go to Kanchanaburi charged the normal price of 25 THB?

Edited December 7, 2011 by hyperdimension