SRT Commuter 371 Train from Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station to Lat Krabang in Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88/บชส.ป.88)

SRT Commuter 371 is the most evening peak train on the SRT Eastern Line with its departure timing matching after office hours and its longer route from Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station to Prachin Buri, as compared with other Commuter trains to Chachoengsao Junction only. With the high demand, the State Railway of Thailand is trialing a refurbished Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88/บชส.ป.88) attached on the Commuter 371/372 pair of trains with a promotional 18 Baht surcharge on top of regular fares.

Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station

The concourse of Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

Tickets can only be purchased on the spot at ticket counters for the Commuter 371 Train, even in Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88) with reserved seating.

My ticket for the SRT Commuter 371 Train from Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station to Lat Krabang in the refurbished Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88) costing 23 Baht.

Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station is now a living museum with artefacts of old locomotives and existing trains stabling and operating on the same line respectively.

I hope the preserved locomotives don’t accidentally become a buffer stop in action.

My Commuter 371 was departing from Platform 9.

Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88/บชส.ป.88)

It’s easy to find the Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88) simply by looking at the windows as they are all sealed, with new hopper windows for ventilation in case of a malfunction of the air-conditioning system. 1 door is also removed and replaced with a sink area to cater to more seats on board.

The destination sign of the Commuter 371 to Prachin Buri.

The Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88) is powered by an on-board generator which gives off a humming sound in the coach.

Doors to the air-conditioned area are metal with a spring-back function to keep it closed.

The interior of the Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88). Interestingly, despite only having 80 seats, the coach’s abbreviation is ATC88 instead of ATC80.

Seats are pretty much the same as the non-air-conditioned Bogie Third Class Carriage (BTC76), but it is a lot more comfortable on board the ATC88 with aircon.

The legroom available on the Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88).

On good windows, they are tinted which makes the scenery look darker than it is.

On bad windows, heavy condensation and algae is within the window panes, offering no view whatsoever.

The hopper window is probably unlocked by the staff during emergencies, with no handles for access by regular passengers.

Interestingly, a curtain rail has also been installed but without curtains, perhaps they will be installed in future.

The air-conditioning strip is in the middle, with rotating fans helping to circulate the cool air for hybrid cooling.

Interestingly, only squat toilets are available on board the Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88). This is despite the refurbished Bogie Third Class Carriage (BTC76) having 1 seating toilet after refurbishment.

Alsthom AHK 4217 is hauling my Commuter 371 from Bangkok to Prachin Buri.

There was a bit of confusion with my seat at number 80 as there was no seat number placed in the coach, so I followed the number pattern to sit, but then the conductor decided to flip the running number and I ended up on the flip side.

Regular seat numbers are printed for seats 1 to 76.

There is no seat number displayed for seats 77, 78, 79, and 80.

Furthermore, seats 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, and 80 have tighter legroom due to the retrofit, and do not have overhead luggage racks due to the position of the air-conditioning unit. Beware of seats 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, and 80 on board the Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88).

My Commuter 371 departed from Bangkok Hua Lamphong Railway Station on time at 5.40pm.

The conductor comes round to check for tickets immediately after departure as the train will get very very crowded and he will be unable to walk through the train soon.

Urupong Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Urupong Railway Station.

Phaya Thai Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Phaya Thai Railway Station.

A lot of passengers boarded from Phaya Thai, probably by interchanging from buses or BTS Sukhumvit Line.

For passengers who choose to use the ATC88 from stations without ticketing facilities, passengers may choose to find an empty seat or stand for the journey, with the ticket still sold as ATC88. For passengers with a season ticket, a promotional 18 Baht surcharge is paid to the conductor for using the ATC88.

Passing by Phaya Thai AERA1 City Line station.

Makkasan Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Makkasan Railway Station.

Asok Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Asok Railway Station.

A lot of passengers boarded from Asok, probably by interchanging from buses or MRT Blue Line.

For passengers who choose to use the ATC88 from stations without ticketing facilities, passengers may choose to find an empty seat or stand for the journey, with the ticket still sold as ATC88. For passengers with a season ticket, a promotional 18 Baht surcharge is paid to the conductor for using the ATC88.

Khlong Tan Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Khlong Tan Railway Station.

Sukhumvit 71 Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Sukhumvit 71 Railway Station.

Hua Mak Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Hua Mak Railway Station.

Ban Thap Chang Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Ban Thap Chang Railway Station.

Soi Wat Lan Boon Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Soi Wat Lan Boon Railway Station.

Lat Krabang Railway Station

My Commuter 371 train arrived at Lat Krabang Railway Station at 6.38pm – 5 minutes delay due to some hold up at Sukhumvit 71, possibly with passengers struggling to get on the very crowded train.

To my surprise, there were many passengers alighting at Lat Krabang Railway Station as well, which added on to the delay. I had expected most passengers to alight from Phra Chom Klao onwards, since Lat Krabang would have the AERA1 City Line serving with frequent trains.

My Commuter 371 departed from Lat Krabang very quickly just as the last person had boarded, at 6.39pm – 5 minutes delayed.

No chance for a front picture this time.

Alighting at the rear of the train, however, gave me direct access to the interchange path to the Airport Rail Link AERA1 City Line, which I used to head back to Bangkok.

Conclusion

The Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88) is an excellent upgrade to the Bogie Third Class Carriage (BTC76) with currently-affordable fares for the added frill of air-conditioning, helpful whether in rain or shine to keep the rain or heat out while travelling, especially for long distances. As seen on my trip, passengers are still willing to pay the 18 Baht surcharge just to be standing in the Air-Conditioned Third Class Carriage (ATC88), and many alighted at Lat Krabang, using it as a cheaper alternative to the Airport Rail Link AERA1 City Line. Hopefully more such coaches will be offered on more Ordinary and Commuter trains on more routes, especially for medium-haul services.