Popular ‘floating tourist train’ to Pasak Jolasid Dam returns next month

This year, the SRT is offering two roundtrips from Bangkok every weekend in the cool-season months of November, December and January.

The long New Year weekend service has been cancelled, however.

The tourist train is available for booking on the following dates:

- November: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26

- December: 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24

- January: 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28

The service is nicknamed the “floating train” for the sensation that passengers get from riding over water when it crosses the brimming dam.

Pasak Jolasid is Thailand’s longest earthen dam, built at the initiative of the HM the late King Bhumibol to reduce flooding in the Pasak and Chao Phraya river basins. It crosses the Pasak River at Nong Bua subdistrict, in Phatthana Nikom district, Lopburi province, offering gorgeous views of the landscape.

Construction of the mighty barrier began on December 2, 1994 and was completed on September 30, 1999.

Three ticket classes are available for the “floating train”:

A third-class ticket (no air-con) costs 330 baht for the full roundtrip or Saraburi/Kaeng Koi-Khok Salung roundtrip, or 150 baht for Pasak Jolasid to Bangkok (one way).

A second-class ticket (air-con) costs 500 baht return or 250 baht one-way.

A premium ticket (air-con with OTOP privileges) is 590 baht return or 250 baht for a single.

Non-reservable third-class tickets (200 baht) will also be available on the day for locals travelling between Saraburi and Khok Salung in Lop Buri’s Phanat Nikhom district.

Entire carriages can be booked for large groups by calling 02 621 8701 ext 5202.

The service departs Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station at 6am and reaches the dam’s “floating railway” viewing point at 9.25am. It stops here for 20 minutes to allow passengers to admire the view and snap photos, before moving on to Khok Salung station where day-trippers can shop for local OTOP products and Lopburi souvenirs.

The train then returns to the dam at 10.35, allowing passengers to disembark and enjoy the nearby tourism spots, before departing for Bangkok at 3.30pm. Popular activities include visiting the Pasak Basin Museum and having lunch in the local communities. Vans (70 baht) are also available to transport passengers to local sunflower fields and a giant fern garden.

The train arrives back at Hua Lamphong station at 6.50pm.

The “floating train” also provides a seasonal boost to tourism in Lopburi, generating income for locals in the central province.