Tonight I am taking Special Express No. 25 from Bangkok to Nong Khai onboard the CNR sleeper train. This THREAD is a review of Krung Thep Aphiwat Station and the sleeper train.
#RailTourism #Thailand
Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station, or KTW for short, is the new terminal station in #Bangkok for long-distance trains on the Northern, Northeastern, and Southern lines. Trains leave the city from here on elevated tracks and cut the previous time by half.
There are many shops at KTW selling food and drinks, as well as other essentials such as toiletries, medicine, and more. There is also a food court. If you have several hours to kill you could leave your bag in a locker and catch the Blue or Red line trains to a local mall.
The terminal station is massive and as there are monitors and announcements in Thai and English you can basically wait where you like. There are even free showers if you need to spruce up. About 20-30 minutes before departure you will be called for boarding.
I bought my ticket online using the D-Ticket website. Once you have paid you are automatically sent an E-ticket. You don’t need to print this out. They are only interested in scanning the QR-Code. They also don’t cross check the name on the ticket with your passport.
After they call you for boarding, they scan your ticket to make sure you are in the right queue. You can then go up to the platform where the train is waiting. Tonight I am in Carriage No. 10. Each carriage has an attendant who looks after you. They also make up your bed.
During the day, the lower berth is two seats. Then in the evening, the attendant lowers the top berth and makes up your bed with clean sheets. You also get a pillow and a blanket.
On the CNR trains, each berth gets a reading light and a power socket. You also get a free bottle of water. Everything is clean and new on this train.
If you are in the lower berth, you get a table that can fold down and more importantly a window. There are also hooks to hang things. I will put my bag under my seat but I will keep my valuables with me. But it is safe as there are CCTV cameras and also railway police.
Each carriage has modern airplane style toilets and washbasins. There is also one carriage with accessible toilets. The 1st Class carriage also has a shower room. Monitors in the carriages tell you if the toilets are occupied or not.
The bilingual monitors in each carriage give you useful information such as next station name, estimated time of arrival, temperature, speed, and also a route map.
The CNR sleeper trains all have a dining car. You can eat here or they can bring to your seat. Waiters are wandering up and down all the time taking orders. But it is not really that cheap. So some people buy at the station before they board.
The lights are kept on all night. If you are in the lower berth, the curtains do a good job of blocking out the light. But the upper berth is both bright and cold as it is nearer the A/C. I always use an eye mask and ear plugs which allows me to get a good night’s sleep.
There is now a website that you can use to check the status of your train. It will tell you if there is a delay and the estimated time of arrival. This is useful when I wake up in the morning. If there is a delay I will just go back to sleep! ttsview.railway.co.th/searchresult.php?trainno=25&station=&lang=eng#
Thai Train Guide
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Guide to #RailTourism in Thailand and SE Asia by @RichardBarrow. More on @AsianTrainGuide. Help keep the guide free: buymeacoffee.com/richardbarrow
