Christopher Evans - Thailand: A Tour of the Northeast--Phuket to Surat Thani

Traveling by train in Thailand is more comfortable than going by bus, although in many cases it is a lot slower. And the trains don't go everywhere. If you want to go from Bangkok to Phuket, the train service stops six hours away and you still have a bus journey to reach your destination.

Two major features distinguish the Thai train system from its western counterparts, and they are the narrow-gauge track, which at first glance looks like an overgrown miniature railway, and the fact that much of the system is single-track. Having to wait for trains coming in the opposite direction is the main reason that travel times are longer than you would expect.

The country stations are, for the most part, beautifully maintained, with stunning gardens ablaze with color and sweet-smelling blooms. They appear to be a great meeting spot, not necessarily for rail travelers but for local people looking for a pleasant place to congregate.

TRAIN TRAGEDY

There's a varied assortment of crossings for vehicles needing to traverse the Thai rail lines. In cities there are elaborate automatic lights and arms systems similar to those in the US. In rural areas there are crossings where railway workers move barricades onto the road to stop traffic a few minutes before a train is due. In other areas there is just a warning sign. Accidents do happen; shortly before our first Thai train trip, three people were killed and 10 injured when a train collided with a pickup truck. All 13 were related and were traveling in the truck - vehicle loads like this are common in Thailand - after a family reunion. Police said the accident happened because the crossing was unmanned and thick trees on both sides of the crossing obscured the truck driver's view.

Thai trains have three classes. We strongly recommend not traveling in third class; the hard wooden seats get very uncomfortable in a very short space of time. There are, however, two good things about third-class travel. It is very cheap, and you don't have to reserve a space. The seats go on sale shortly before departure. The State Railway of Thailand carries over 100 million passengers a year and 97% of them travel third class. And that says a great deal for the staying power of the Thai people.

In addition to the three classes of accommodation there are different categories of trains. The slowest are the ordinary trains and normally only have third-class carriages. The long-distance trains have three categories - rapid, express, and special express. There is little to choose between them but the special express is the quickest, followed by the express and then the rapid. So the rapid is the slowest!

First class is only available on overnight trains. The sleeper carriages have modern air conditioned lockable two-berth compartments with a small wash basin and stowaway table. A toilet and shower, cold water only, is available at the end of each carriage. If you are traveling alone you will be expected to share the compartment with someone of the same sex unless you pay for two tickets. Cabin stewards provide clean sheets, a towel and soap and transform the seats into two bunk beds around 9pm. They return in the morning around 7am to transform the cabin to its daytime configuration.

Second class comes in two varieties - with or without air conditioning. Needless to say the fan-cooled carriages tend to get a little hot at night. The second-class sleepers are not compartments but open plan. There are facing seats on each side of the carriage, which are pulled together to form the lower bed. The upper berth folds out from the wall of the carriage. Again you get fresh bedding and a mattress on each bunk. A curtain is hooked in front of each berth, which gives you some privacy but can be a little claustrophobic. The upper berth, which is slightly narrower and very close to the air conditioning vent, is cheaper.