Will I Have Time To Make The Trains

[Niall1980]

Hi all i am new to the forums and i have a problem that i was looking for a bit of advice on.

I am flying into Suvarnabhumi airport on the 2nd of December at 0650.

I was looking to catch a train to lampang that morning and i see that the train times are 0830 from Hualamphong or i could go for 0914 Don muang.

i suppose the question i am asking is do i have a hope in hell in getting to either of these stations from Suvarnabhumi in time and if so what is the fastest way you think i could do this in.

Thanks in advance for any help

Niall

[craigt3365]

Well, you're landing on a Sunday....so there won't be any traffic that time of the morning. But immigration is what could get you. It just depends. The time to get through could be as short at 15 minutes or as long as 45 or more. Plus, you've got to hope your plane is on time. I'd have a backup just in case.

As for getting to the train station...taxi will be the fastest that time of the day...IMHO.

edit: I doubt you'd make the flight at DM.

[asanee]

If you are so hasty, fly to Lampang.

As above, a tipical no-brainer: taximeter is fastest in town. Time spent at immigration+luggage is determining factor.

Also be aware that this train ALSO stops after HLpong at SamSen, Bang Sue (=end of MRT), Bang Khen, then DMuang.

Also be aware that the train is not the best choice re speed-unless you belong to the Ibelieveintrainsonly sect. Take a taxi to Mochit-find a VIP bus, and be there much earlier as that train. Also any ChMai bound bus will set you down at the crossing into Lampang.

[Niall1980]

Hi ya immigration should not be a problem as my wife is Thai and we always go through the Thai side which is normally very quick.

I have never been on a train before in Thailand and just wanted to give it a shot.

That is the last train out of there that would have us in Lampang at a reasonable time of the evening.

I didnt really want to fly as im sick of flying and trying to cut a few costs also.

So what you think lads seems that its a Sunday morning??? Hualamphong

Would i be better shooting for 0830 at Hualamphong or the later time at Don muang

[harrry]

You do have a reservation. It is a long slow trip in third class.

You could get a taxi to the northern bus terminal and get a bus in an hour or so. Will be quicker.

[draftvader]

Hualamphong is a pain at the best of times. If you get lucky all the lights are in your favour and you can make it down Rama 4 quickly from the expressway. Swampy to Don Muang will take about the same amount of time (the whole route is expressway), but the train will arrive there later so this would be less of a risk as an option.

You could always have the taxi wait whilst you check if the train has gone through. If it has you could catch a bus to Ayuthuya and head it off there (being that the bus is quicker than the train) and you wouldn't miss any of the best parts of that route.

[Niall1980]

Thanks for all the replies and help.

I have decided to just bite the bullet and fly and i have booked a flight with Air asia.

Will give me nearly an extra days holidays rather than spending it traveling.

[JustAVisitor]

Too bad you already booked as I did exactly this trip a year ago:

My flight touched down at Suvarnabhumi at 06:20

at 07:30 I was through immigrations & customs and took a minibus to Don Muang. The expressway was pretty busy, but I arrived at Don Muang station an hour later (it was Friday April 1st, - not a joke!) and had to wait roughly 45 minutes for the Nr.9 train to Phitsanoluk. It was only 5 minutes late!

I had no reservation (beware that staff at Don Muang railway station speaks little English!) but got a decent seat anyway (sorry, didn't write down what class).

Next time, I would definitely go the same route again (in fact I will do it again next Saturday ). Easy, relaxed and cheap, although not the fastest way to go North.

[thrilled]

Train is a slow go.I went from Bangkok to Udonthani,I believe around 13 hours.I reserved A 1st class sleeper car so I slept around 9 hours of it.

[xen]

Just came back from CMX on the 12th - overnight sleeper. Took us 20 hours as it was the first day of songhan and the train hit a car on a level crossing according to the Thai Whispers game up & down the carriages. Spent four hours in the middle of the night stopped as other trains leapfrogged us. The train then took it slow into Humpy . However it was not so bad - meet a lot of new people , some backpackers and some Thai families, Bit of a party atmosphere . We had no strict time schedule either and we were stocked with food as we don't like paying the exorbinant prices on the train for food of unknown quality.

Would i catch the train again. Hell yes in preference to the yaa baa fuelled mainiacs driving the mini busses and the the crazy driving of the coaches -yes again.

Flying is best but i would never rule out the trains ever and hopefully Yingluck will come thru with the high-speed train to CMX altho i doubt i , or many of us, will be alive see it.

[craigt3365]

Xen: Glad you and your family were safe and sound...

[harrry]

You may like to take the train from ChiangMai to Lampang or vice versa. A nice trip through the mountains.

[blazes]

I've done the trip from Phitsanolok to Chiang Mai by train in the day time (when you will see the quite nice countryside as you go further north.)

Train slow but sure.

I have NEVER felt so scared in my life as when I took a bus from Khon Kaen to Phitsanoluk. Typical experience: climb up steepish hill at 2mph, get to top, then hurtle down the other side at 150 mph (and you'd better get out of my way), then momentum of hurtle takes one half way up the next climb in line, back down to 2 mph, and so on.....

Die of heart attack en route...

[bangkokburning]

Clear immigration - 10-45mins

Airport link to Makassan - 20 mins (B40)

Petchaburi to Hualampong - 25 mins (B30)

Add 30+ mins for wait times, Immigration and transport

Maximum time approx 1.5-2.0 hours

ZERO TRAFFIC

>> 40C yesterday in Lampang, good luck with that place!