Bangkok-Pattaya special train

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Gaybutton
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Bangkok-Pattaya special train

Post by Gaybutton »

Bangkok-Pattaya special train makes debut

by Chaiyot Pupattanapong

17 Mar 2018

PATTAYA: A special tourist train from Bangkok to Pattaya and Sattahip made its debut on Saturday, with services planned every weekend for the next six months to spur tourism in the eastern region.

Trips in air-conditioned carriages to Pattaya station and Ban Phlu Ta Luang station in Sattahip will be offered every Saturday and Sunday until Sept 30. They will leave Bangkok early in the morning and return in late afternoon.

The inaugural service arrived on Saturday at Pattaya station at 9.10am. On hand to welcome it were executives from the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), Pattaya municipality, the Chon Buri Tourism Association and a crew of media members.

The train later left for Talad Nam 4 Pak Pattaya station (Pattaya floating market), where the formal inauguration ceremony was held, with many Thai and foreign tourists looking on.

Anont Luengboribun, a Transport Ministry inspector-general and the acting SRT governor, said operators in Chon Buri would provide transport services from Pattaya station to other tourist attractions in Chonburi.

The special train will leave Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok every Saturday and Sunday at 6.45am, arriving in Pattaya at 9.13am and reaching Ban Phlu Ta Luang in Sattahip at 9.50pm. The return trip leaves Ban Phlu Ta Luang at 3.50pm, reaching Pattaya at 4.26pm and arriving in Bangkok at 6.25pm.

Fares from Bangkok to Pattaya and the final destination are 170 baht and reservations are recommended, according to the SRT. Seats can be booked via the SRT hotline at 1690 around the clock.

SRT deputy governor Thanongsak Pongprasert said the agency would evaluate the services and if they prove popular, it could increase frequencies or add more carriages.

Story and photos: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... ain-debuts
fountainhall

Re: Bangkok-Pattaya special train

Post by fountainhall »

And how many tourists are likely to be up at that hour to catch a train which takes a good bit longer than the bus? Getting back to Bangkok in the middle of rush hour traffic also seems an idiotic bit of scheduling!
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Re: Bangkok-Pattaya special train

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fountainhall wrote:an idiotic bit of scheduling!
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Re: Bangkok-Pattaya special train

Post by Dodger »

It's a short motorbike ride from my place in Bang Saray to the Ban Phlu Ta Luang Train station in Sattahip. If there's a place to park my motorbike at the train station during my trips up to Bangkok this is music to my ears. I will investigate this in two weeks when I arrive back in Thailand.

Departing Sattahip at 3.50 pm and arriving in Bangkok at 6.25 pm is actually perfect timing as well.

Sattahip being a military town, I'm assuming some of the passengers departing from there will be those horny young sailors wearing those freshly pressed snug white uniforms looking for a cheap ride to BKK. They will definitely find the "cheap ride" and the train ticket doesn't cost that much either... :lol:
Jun

Re: Bangkok-Pattaya special train

Post by Jun »

fountainhall wrote:And how many tourists are likely to be up at that hour to catch a train which takes a good bit longer than the bus? Getting back to Bangkok in the middle of rush hour traffic also seems an idiotic bit of scheduling!
They propose to run the trains on Saturday & Sunday.
I would think this is aimed at people working Monday to Friday, so perhaps there is demand for day trips for the local Thai population. Therefore avoiding the expense of hotels.
I still don't understand why they start & return so early, but perhaps that is what the local market want.
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Re: Bangkok-Pattaya special train

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote:I still don't understand why they start & return so early
Just a guess, but I have a feeling it is logistics. Other trains, especially freight trains, use the same tracks, so it may not have been possible to schedule passenger trains at a more convenient time. Either that or somebody may not have placed enough money into the right hands . . .
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