Question About Classes Of Train Service.

[chickin]

I have decided to take the train to Nong Khai myself. I noticed on the link provided in my previous topic that there were several classes of service. Can anyone give me a rundown on what you get in these different classes? I noticed the prices for first class service was quite a bit higher, is this a private car? Do you pay one price for the private car, if it is private, or is this price per person if two people shared the car? Thanks in advance for your replies.

[toptuan]

Third-hand info:

The highest price is for first class which includes a private compartment which seats/sleeps at least 2 people. Double-check for max. number of people per compartment. Price is per person. About 1,200 baht.

First-hand info:

There is a second class "sleeper" train which leaves BKK at 8:45pm each night for the trip to Nong Khai. Arrives 8:30 a.m. It's air-conditioned and beds compartimentalized by curtains. Can get a reasonable night's sleep if you don't mind the cradle-rocking motion (makes some sick!). Get the bunks in the middle of the car (away from noisy exit doors/restrooms), and on the lower bunk (where it's darker). Fare per person, 700-800 baht. My personal choice for the BKK-Nong Khai route. Best value per baht.

Also first-hand info:

Third class is definitely another option. Sometimes hard-backed (no upholstery) benches. No air, only ceiling fans with open windows (at the mercy of burning fields by farmers next to the tracks). Absolute misery unless you're the backpacker type who loves rubbing shoulders with the locals who don't mind traveling at a snail's pace. Train stops very often, and for long periods of time for no obvious reason. Ridiculously cheap. I traveled from BKK to Ayuthaya last week for 15 baht. Your route (BKK to Nong Khai): 258 baht.

Rail schedule from BKK to Nong Khai with fares is found at:

http://www.railway.co.th/english/images/northeast.gif

Edited November 1, 2006 by toptuan

[toptuan]

Added note: For the second class sleeper, you need to book in advance at least a week. Compartments are always full if you try to purchase the day of travel.

Also, for convenience sake, there is an independent agency (where my Thai friend works) which will book for you and send you the ticket by EMS (about 30 baht extra charge). PM me for details.

[lopburi3]

1st class I found less comfortable than 2nd class as the bunks are across the tracks and every stop rolls you toward the edge of bed/floor. And if just one you share with a stranger.

2nd class sleeper is good and the newer boogies from Korea are much better riding and quieter than the old versions. Bottom bunk is wider and you have the option to change back to seats when you want.

2nd class seats can be an option if sleepers are booked but not really armchair comfort.

3rd class is ok for an hour or two but not for overnight journey.

Believe most days you can obtain sleepers day before travel unless things have changed in recent years. With the cheap airfares train travel is no longer that much cheaper. If I were using train these days it would be on railcar daytime travel to see the countryside.

[ovenman]

I traveled first-class between Bangkok and Chiang Mai a couple months ago on the evening Nakhon Ping special express. This train uses the newer Daewoo coaches that lopburi3 mentions. I have traveled in second-class on this train many a time. I was disappointed in the first-class accommodation, mostly because the compartment was a bit on the smallish side. I was carrying a couple bags, but in all honesty, not an inordinate amount of luggage. The compartment was rather cramped with my baggage.

[midas]

I still think it's good value by first-class. On many journeys

I have made I have had the compartment to myself so it has been

quiet and I had a good night's sleep. Because there are

only a limited number of people in the first-class carriage -

the toilets are not so bad to use the next morning

[lanny]

I make the trip to Nong Khai about once a year -- and have been doing so for several years. At first, I bought first class tickets but one time, when I couldn't get first class, I discovered the second class sleeper. Frankly, I believe the second class sleeper is much superior to first class.

First class compartments seat two and you can find yourself sharing with a stranger. The bunks are athwart the car and have no individual curtains -- no privacy if the other occupant is a stranger. Since the lower bunk is the seat during the daytime, it is actually less comfortable than the second class seat. You get a small wash basin, with running water, but the toilet is at the end of the car and is no different that the toilets in second class.

I have used second class seats on other routes but not to Nong Khai. I don't think this would be very comfortable overnight. For the difference in fare, the sleeper is best.

Never having travelled in third class, I can't five first hand information. Looking at the cars in the stations, however, I think it would be a torture to spend up to 12 hours in one.