We recently got the train from Bangkok to Hat Yai Junction as part of our trip to Singapore, and this is an account of our adventures. Hat Yai is in Songkhla province in the south of the country, which is near the border with Malaysia. It’s around 945 km from Bangkok.
Train Times Bangkok To Hat Yai
There are five trains per day from Bangkok to Hat Yai, with all of them being overnight trains. Ticket prices differ for each train, but are roughly as follows: 1,594 baht for 1st class lower bed, 1,394 (1st class upper bed), 945 (2nd class aircon lower bed), 855 baht (2nd class aircon upper bed), 605 (2nd class fan lower bed), 555 (2nd class fan upper bed), 455 (2nd class fan seat), 259 (3rd class fan seat).
14:45 Special Express Train From Bangkok To Hat Yai
As this was a very long journey we opted to get a 1st class carriage on the first available train, which is the No. 31 Special Express. This cost us 1,594 baht for the lower bed and 1,394 baht for the upper bed. So that’s a total of 2,988 baht ($85). Not too bad for such a long journey.
As you can see above, the 1st class carriages are small, but there was enough room for the two of us and our luggage. There is a connecting door to the next carriage that is locked from both sides. If traveling as a group of four, this door can be opened, so would be ideal for a family.
The carriage had a small sink, and this was handy for washing hands, brushing teeth and shaving. There was a shared shower at the end of the carriage. The guard brought around free bottles of water once the train left the station.
During the daytime, the carriage is set up with one long bench type seat, but in the evening the guard comes around and makes up the beds. He fits cleans sheets, pillows, and blankets. It’s up to you what time you want the beds made up, so we got ours set up later at night.
The beds were more comfortable than we expected them to be, and we had a fairly good night’s sleep.
A full range of cooked food is available on the train, and you can either eat this in the restaurant car or in your own carriage. A waiter/waitress will come around and ask for your order. Tea, coffee and other drinks are also available. Alcohol is not served on Thai trains though. And neither are you allowed to bring any with you.
There was only one 1st class carriage on the train, and it was at the back. There is a window at the end of the train that you can look out of. The view is like that above for long parts of the journey.
Late afternoon we saw an amazing storm. It’s the only time I’ve seen such dark clouds rolling across the sky like this. The rain was torrential, but a few minutes later we were through it, and it was suddenly dry again.
Hat Yai Junction Station
Our train arrived in Hat Yai more or less on time at around 06:30 to 07:00. The guard came around to wake us up about an hour before our stop.
As is often the case in Thailand, there seem to be multiple spellings of most place names. As you can see in the two images above, the station is called Hat Yai inside the station and Haadyai outside.
How To Get To Your Hotel From Hat Yai Junction Station
The station is fairly centrally located so you may be able to walk to your hotel, but most likely you’ll need to take a tuk tuk. I think we paid around 100 baht, although it was only 60 baht on the way back with a tuk tuk ordered by the hotel. Most hotels should be around a similar distance or less, so don’t pay more than 100 baht.
We got the above tuk tuk. The driver was friendly and chatty and pointed out notable landmarks along the way. He only spoke Thai though.