The Thaksin Express () is an

express train An express train is a type of passenger train that makes few or no stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, providing faster service than local trains that stop at many or all of the stations along their ...

run by the

State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) (, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport (Thailand), Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was founded as the Royal State Rail ...

(SRT) between

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

and Su-ngai Kolok, a border town in Narathiwat Province and the end of the southern rail line. ''Thaksin'' is a Thai word for 'south' (from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word ''dakshin''), thus this train is referred to as the "Southern Express". The train's

passenger car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

s include 1st- and 2nd-class air conditioned sleepers, 2nd-class fan sleepers, 2nd-class fan seating

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, 3rd class air conditioned and fan seating coaches, and a

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a passenger railroad car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. These cars provide the highest level of service of any rai ...

Overview

The train passes through cities and towns along the western edge of the gulf coast of

southern Thailand Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and Tambralinga) is the southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bo ...

on the upper

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

. These include

Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Pathom (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's only Bhikkhuni temple W ...

Hua Hin Hua Hin (, ) is one of eight districts (''amphoe'') of Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its seat of government, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district's population was estim ...

Surat Thani Surat Thani (, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 132,040 (2019), and an area of . The city's ...

Hat Yai Hat Yai (, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, fifth-largest city in Thailand with a population of 191,696 (2024) in ...

, Yala, and Su-ngai Kolok. Although the rail line is connected to the Malaysian rail system towards Rantau Panjang Station, there is no cross-border service on this route.

Timetable

Train Number 37 Bangkok - Su-ngai Kolok (departure times) *

(กรุงเทพ) - 15:10 * Sam Sen (สามเสน) - 15:28 * Bang Sue (บางซื่อ) - 15:39 * Bang Bumru (บางบำหรุ) - 15:57 * Salaya (ศาลายา) - 16:14 * Nakhon Pathom (นครปฐม) - 16:42 * Ban Pong (บ้านโป่ง) - 17:00 *

Ratchaburi Ratchaburi (, ) or Rajburi, Rat Buri) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in western Thailand, capital of Ratchaburi Province. Ratchaburi town covers the entire ''tambon'' Na Mueang (หน้าเมือง) of Mueang Ratchaburi District. As o ...

(ราชบุรี) - 17:29 *

Phetburi Phetchaburi (, ) or Phet Buri () is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means "city of diamonds" (''buri'' meaning "city" in Sanskrit). It is approximately 160 km south of ...

(เพชรบุรี) - 18:15 *

(หัวหิน) - 19:11 - three minute stop to change crews * Wang Phong (วังก์พง) - 19:31 *

Prachuap Khiri Khan Prachuap Khiri Khan (, ) is a town in western Thailand. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and is on the coast close to the narrowest stretch in Thailand, only from the border with Myanmar at Dan Sing Khon in the Tenasserim Hills ...

(ประจวบคีรีขันธ์) - 20:28 * Bang Saphan Yai (บางสะพานใหญ่)- 21:38 *

Chumphon Chumphon (, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Chumphon Province and Mueang Chumphon District. The city is about 463 kilometers (288 miles) from Bangkok. As of 2018 it had a population of around 33,600. The t ...

(ชุมพร) - 23:32 - ten minute stop for refuelling and changing crews * Surat Thani (สุราษฎร์ธานี) - 01:56 next day - three minute stop to change crews * Thung Song (ทุ่งสง) - 03:54 - 10 minute stop for refuelling *

Phatthalung Phatthalung (, ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phatthalung Province. The town covers ''tambon ''Tambon'' (, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province ('' changwat' ...

(พัทลุง) - 05:37 - three minute stop to change crews * Bang Kaeo (บางแก้ว) - 06:07 * Hat Yai (หาดใหญ่) - 07:31 - 15 minute stop for uncoupling from No. 45 (to Padang Besar), and refuelling * Chana (จะนะ) - 08:07 *

Pattani Pattani (or Patani in Malay spelling) may refer to: Places Continental Asia * Patani (historical region), a historical region in the Malay peninsula, in Thailand and Malaysia. * Pattani Province, modern province in southern Thailand ** Pattani, ...

(ปัตตานี) - 08:51 * Yala (ยะลา) - 09:28 - three minute stop to change crews * Rue Sau (รือเสาะ) - 10:03 * Tanyong Mas (ตันหยงมัส) - 10:35 * Sugei Padi (สุไหงปาดี) - 11:02 * Su-ngai Kolok (สุไหงโกลก) - 11:25 arrival Train Number 38 Su-ngai Kolok - Bangkok (departure times) * Su-ngai Kolok (สุไหงโกลก) - 14:20 * Sugei Padi (สุไหงปาดี) - 14:36 * Tanyong Mas (ตันหยงมัส) - 15:03 * Rue Sau (รือเสาะ) - 15:34 * Yala (ยะลา) - 16:06 - three minute stop to change crews * Pattani (ปัตตานี) - 16:37 * Hat Yai (หาดใหญ่) - 18:05 - 20 minute stop for attaching to No. 46 (from Padang Besar), and refuelling * Bang Kaeo (บางแก้ว) - 19:06 * Phatthalung (พัทลุง) - 19:34 - three minute stop to change crews * Thung Song (ทุ่งสง) - 21:19 - 15 minute stop for refuelling and changing crews * Surat Thani (สุราษฎร์ธานี) - 23:00 - three minute stop for changing crews * Chumphon (ชุมพร) - 01:36 (next day) - 10 minute stop for refuelling and changing crews * Bang Saphan Yai (บางสะพานใหญ่)- 03:08 * Prachuap Khiri Khan (ประจวบคีรีขันธ์) - 04:17 * Hua Hin (หัวหิน) - 05:34 - three minute stop to change crews * Ratchaburi (ราชบุรี) - 07:26 * Ban Pong (บ้านโป่ง) - 07:58 * Nakhon Pathom (นครปฐม) - 08:21 * Salaya (ศาลายา) - 09:05 * Bang Bumru (บางบำหรุ) - 09:32 * Bang Sue (บางซื่อ) - 09:54 * Sam Sen (สามเสน) - 10:05 * Bangkok (กรุงเทพ) - 10:30 arrival

Current status

There are about 3-4 second class

rakes Rakes may refer to: * The Rakes The Rakes were an English post-punk musical ensemble, band formed in London in 2003. Their first album ''Capture/Release'' released in 2005, received a nine out of ten review in the ''NME'' and was rated 13th ...

plus one first class rake for the train between Hat Yai-Su-ngai Kolok. For the local people in the southern provinces, the Southern Special Express 37/38 serves as a means of reassurance that the central government will not abandon the local people of the three southern provinces despite the ongoing insurgencies there.

References

Schedule for Thaksin Special Express 37

Schedule for Thaksin Special Express 38

External links

SRT southern route timetable
{{Rail transport in Thailand Passenger rail transport in Thailand Night trains Named passenger trains Railway services introduced in 1922