Hi

I have a friend arriving on the overnight sleeper from BKK at 7.15am on Sunday morning. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what time it is most likely to arrive so I know what time to collect them?

thanks.....

It could arrive at 0715 or sometime later - it varies day by day (at least it did when I traveled by train). Departures from start are normally on-time - arrivals not so much.

Anywhere from 30-90 minutes late....Train schedule Thai style/time.....

^ Arrival times got a lot better, I think because they just adjusted the schedules to better match the actual arrival times. There are still older schedules floating around the internet though so check that you have a current one.

And then they do tend to arrive roughly on time these days, especially in the dry season.

Other options:

* Call the station (in Thai) and ask for an arrival time confirmation. They also post expected actual arrival times on a board in the main hall, so if there's a delay then you can go for coffee or something.

* Tell the person you're picking up to call you when they get to Lamphun. (And make sure they understand "Lamphun" not Lampang or Khun Tan or whatever). From there it's 25 minutes so typically I leave home when they get to Lamphun and I get there pretty much the same time the train does.

I've been on it when ten minutes late and another time five hours late. Never given an explanation for why we stopped in the middle of nowhere for more than four hours....Mae pen rai !

It's unlikely to be early, IME.

Just have them call you when the train is 30 miles away or so.

Here is the complete schedule http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm#Bangkok_to_Chiang_Mai

Source: http://reddit.com/r/thailandnews (in the sidebar)

While waiting check the cappucino/expresso at Cafe de Train, best restaurant in Chiang Mai.