Steam train pulls passengers back 128 years to birth of Thailand’s railway
Passengers were whisked back to the romantic age of rail travel on Tuesday when they boarded a steam train for a special trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya to mark the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)'s 128th birthday.
The journey commemorated the opening of the first public railway between the current and old capital on March 26, 1896 by King Rama V, which is marked as SRT Foundation Day.
The trip features two Pacific-class steam locomotives – numbers 824 and 850 – built by Japan’s Nippon Sharyo after World War II in 1949 and 1950. The trains are normally kept at the Thonburi Locomotive Depot, also known as Bangkok Noi Train Station.
The trains left Hua Lamphong station at 8.10am and arrived in Ayutthaya at 10.20am. Passengers are given six hours to tour the old capital before the return train leaves at 4.40pm to arrive in Bangkok at 6.50pm.
Stops at Samsen, Bang Sue, Don Mueang, and Rangsit stations allow passengers to board or disembark at four points along the route.
If you missed this historic train ride, SRT offers steam train trips on five other important occasions on different routes. They are:
• June 3: Bangkok-Nakhon Pathom for HM Queen Suthida’s birthday
• July 28: Bangkok-Ayutthaya for HM King Rama X’s birthday
• August 12: Bangkok-Chachoengsao for HM Queen Sirikit’s birthday, which is marked as Mother’s Day in Thailand
• October 23: Bangkok-Ayutthaya for King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
• December 5: Bangkok-Chachoengsao for King Rama IX’s birthday and Father’s Day
Tickets can be reserved at SRT stations nationwide or via the D-Ticket mobile application and website: www.dticket.railway.co.th.
