The Northern Line is a

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The line heads north terminating at the northern port of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

. The line is between Bangkok railway station and

Chiang Mai railway station Chiang Mai station (SRT Code: CGM) ( th, สถานีเชียงใหม่ (ชม.)) is a 1st class station and the main railway station in Chiang Mai Province. This station is on the east side of the Ping River in the city of Chiang ...

. It is the second longest railway line in Thailand. The line first opened in 1896. Major cities served by the line include

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 estima ...

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

Nakhon Sawan Nakhon Sawan ( th, นครสวรรค์, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Thailand, the name literally means "Heavenly City". The city is the capital of Nakhon Sawan Province, and covers the complete subdistrict (''tambon'') Pak Nam P ...

Phitsanulok Phitsanulok ( th, พิษณุโลก, ) is an important, historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province. Phitsanulok is home to Naresuan University and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, as well as ...

Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang ( th, นครลำปาง, ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for La ...

, and

. The line was severely affected by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

Timeline100 ปี รถไฟไทย, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, 2540

Name changes

Closed Stations

Main Line

Sawankhalok Branch Line

Services

Services on the Northern Line are mainly intercity trains operated by

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

, connecting major cities. More than a dozen trains run on the line in each direction each day.

Infrastructure

The Northern Line is entirely single track, except at stations. Track gauge is

meter gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...

. As train frequency increases, it is becoming increasingly challenging to operate trains running both direction on the single-line track. Double-tracking has commenced between Lop Buri and Pak Nam Pho, and is planned for the rest of the line. The Northern Line is not electrified. Regular services run on diesel power. Current operating speed on the line is .

Tunnels

Stations

There are 130 railway stations and halts in operation on the Northern Line, some serve major cities and some serve local villages in distant locations where road access is limited. Some station buildings date back over a hundred years, such as Khlong Maphlap Station on the Sawankhalok Branch Line. Some station were rebuilt from wooden structures to modern Thai styled buildings such as Nakhon Sawan Station. The other category of buildings is the small, ornate style of wood-built stations such as Mae Tha Station.

Station List

References

{{State Railway of Thailand Railway Stations, n=yes Railway lines opened in 1896 Railway lines in Thailand Metre gauge railways in Thailand