TRAIN

The train major lanes are :

• North-east : Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat)-Nongkhai (until the Friendship bridge that crosses the Mekong to Laos)
• North-east : Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima-Ubon Ratchathani
• North : up to Chiang Mai
• South : up to Malaysia. Railways continues up to Singapore through Malaysia. The famous Oriental Express is going from Bangkok to Singapore
• West : Bangkok-Kanchananuri (death railway bridge)-Burma
• East : Bangkok-Chasengsao-Cambodia

Thai trains are quite slow. Bangkok-Chiang Mai or Bangkok-Nongkhai trips last 12 hours. Anyway travelling by train is an efficient way to discover Thai landscape. As Thai trains are slow, it is a nice idea to travel by night in order to gain time. In night trains there is a little restaurant with simple but delicious dishes. In day trains, people are selling cold drinks, fruits, hot food and so on...

	Train in NongKhai

In some train stations like Hualongpong in Bangkok, there is even a stall reserved for foreigners in order to allow them to book their tickets while using English language.

There are three different classes :

• Third class with bench made of wood. Quite difficult for the buttocks especially for long travels but it is cheap.
• Second class composed in two sub-classes : one with air conditioning and one with electric fan. Beds are in the wagon way.
• First class are with a personal compartment and air conditioning.

	Chief Train Station

SKYTRAIN

	Since the 5th december 1999, birthday of the King Rama 9, the skytrain (new elevated train system) is running. The operator, Bangkok Mass Transit System Corp is the operator of the 23.7km skytrain and had planned on 400,000 travellers a day when it won the concession.
Skytrain in Bangkok

The skytrain is too expensive for many Thai people. Prices start from 10 baht but an average trip costs 30 Baht. It is much more expensive than common red buses. Many tourists use it in order to have a look to Bangkok landscape. After nearly two years carrying less than half the planned number of passengers, the skytrain finally attracts 300,000 passengers end of year 2001.
	Skytrain in Bangkok

Critics said that it failed to lessen the traffic much as only people with middle to high incomes are able to afford it. Critics have dismissed it as just for tourists.

	There are two lines: From "Mo Chit" to "On Nut" From "National Stadium" to "Saphan Thaksin" The "Central station" (Siam) is the common station between the two lines.
Central station

In 2004 the skytrain number of passengers is usually about 370,000 a day.

HOPEWELL

The train railways with two levels or HopeWell project in Bangkok is stopped since the Asia crisis in 1997. It was a 60 km Bangkok elevated railroad project. On the top level there should have been the train and on the bottom level a road for cars. In Bangkok from Hualongpong to the suburbs, thousands of huge concrete pillars can be found.

	The concrete pillars and beams of the Hopewell elevated transit project were abandoned along eastern and northern railway tracks in Bangkok after the company failed to raise the funds to complete its 80-billion-baht project. It was originally planned to elevate all railway tracks in Bangkok, plus an electric train system and an elevated tollway for a combined distance of 60 kilometres.
Hopewell project

In october 2001 Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra suggested to order the pillars demolished. The premier prefered a seven-billion-baht plan to expand the surface railway system to a downsized 30-billion baht plan for the Hopewell system.
	Hopewell project

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