The Thaksin Express ( th, รถด่วนพิเศษทักษิณ) is an

express train An express train is a type of passenger train that makes a small number of stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, allowing faster service than Local train, local trains that stop at most or all of the s ...

run by the

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 ...

(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 estima ...

and

Su-ngai Kolok Su-ngai Kolok ( th, สุไหงโกลก, ms, Sungai Golok) is a border town, subdistrict, and district on the Malaysia-Thailand Border in Narathiwat Province, Thailand. It is one of the largest and most prosperous districts in Narathiwa ...

, a border town in

Narathiwat Province Narathiwat ( th, นราธิวาส, Malay: Menara) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan an ...

and the end of the southern rail line. ''Thaksin'' is a Thai word for 'south' (from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

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

passenger car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

s include 1st- and 2nd-class air conditioned

sleepers ''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Ho ...

, 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 railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...

Overview

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

southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...

on the upper

Malay peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula 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 ...

. These include

Nakhon Pathom Nakhon Pathom ( th, นครปฐม, ) 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 ...

Hua Hin Hua Hin ( th, หัวหิน, ) 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 ...

Surat Thani Surat Thani ( th, สุราษฎร์ธานี, ) 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 1 ...

Hat Yai Hat Yai ( th, หาดใหญ่, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. It is south of Bangkok, and has a population of 156,802 (2019) in the city itself and an urban population of about 400,00 ...

, Yala, and

. Although the rail line is connected to the Malaysian rail system, 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 ( th, ราชบุรี, ) 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 ...

(ราชบุรี) - 17:29 *

Phetburi Phetchaburi ( th, เพชรบุรี, ) 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 approx ...

(เพชรบุรี) - 18:15 * Hua Hin (หัวหิน) - 19:11 - three minute stop to change crews * Wang Phong (วังก์พง) - 19:31 *

Prachuap Khiri Khan Prachuap Khiri Khan ( th, ประจวบคีรีขันธ์, ) is a town in western Thailand. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and is on the coast at one of the narrowest stretches in Thailand, only from the border ...

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

Chumphon Chumphon ( th, ชุมพร, ) 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 2005 it had a population of ...

(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'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district ('' amphoe'') and prov ...

(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 (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 (a set of coupled rail cars, normally coaches or wagons) plus one first class rake for the train between Hat Yai-Su-ngai Kolok. The Southern Special Express 37/38 has to be kept running as a means of reassuring residents 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