SRT Special Express 37 from Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat to Sungai Kolok Train Review (Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (Tokyu ANS40))

SRT Special Express 37, sometimes still known as the Thaksin Express, is Thailand’s longest-distance train journey from Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat to Sungai Kolok, with a total route distance of 1151.21 kilometers. Heading back to Singapore, I decided to travel by train, but using the eastern route via Sungai Kolok and the KTM East Coast Line, to have a full sleeper train journey.

Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

The façade of Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. The old name of Bang Sue Grand Station still stands as the sign is embedded into the station structural pillars.

With the demise of the SRT Free Shuttle Bus, the nearest entrance from Bang Sue Junction on the southern end is also closed.

The entrance is now 2 doors away at Gate 10.

It’s not the end of the walk yet, as the long distance trains area is at the northern end of Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal.

There are 2 main waiting areas at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal for long distance trains.

Southern Line trains depart from Gate E.

The next 5 trains departures are all for the Southern Line.

Queue lines are now set up in front of the boarding gate.

A sign in front of the queue lines inform passengers not to queue before boarding time.

Gates will open only 20 minutes before departure. This is barely enough time to get everyone settled in to their seats, and boarding is a very rushed process at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal.

Non-digital signs are also back, with an acrylic slot type sign now also at the boarding gate.

A queue formed about 30 minutes before departure. There are 3 queue lines for ticket scanning.

Staff are on standby at the gate for ticket scanning.

Ticket scanning began 24 minutes for departure, probably owing to the crowds waiting to board the long train, and 20 minutes is really too short to get everyone settled in on board.

Heading up the escalator to the platform.

There is now a queue line in front of the escalator to turn passengers away from the front of the train. However, when I asked for permission to cross it for photos, permission was granted by the staff.

Special Express 37 Thaksin Express

CRRC Qishuyan (QSY) Locomotive 5238 will be leading my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express from Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Hat Yai Junction. There will be a locomotive change at Hat Yai Junction for the onward leg to Sungai Kolok.

The front 2 cars, Cars 2 and 3, are the Special Express 45 International Express to Padang Besar, Malaysia. The Special Express 45 International Express runs combined with my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express, before being split at Hat Yai Junction.

Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (ANS40)

I was booked in Car 4, and the livery on this Tokyu Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (ANS40) looks new and shiny.

The destination sign of my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express.

Car numbers are now also laid on the platform reusing wet floor signs.

The interior of my Tokyu Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (ANS40). The lights were brighter and the seat/berth upholstery looks new as well.

I was booked in seat/berth 30 for this trip.

In the day configuration, 2 seats face each other, with the pair formed by the passengers in the lower and upper berth respectively.

The upper berth is folded up for better air flow from the air-conditioners.

The legroom available on board the Tokyu Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (ANS40). This is shared by the opposing passenger as well.

I was very surprised to see 2 power sockets installed at all seats in this refurbished coach. Now that’s an upgrade.

A sitting toilet is available on board the Tokyu Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (ANS40).

A squatting toilet is also available on board the Tokyu Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach (ANS40). However, notably, the shower head in the squatting toilet has been removed.

There is also an external sink area for light washing up.

My Special Express 37 Thaksin Express departed from Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal on time at 4.10pm.

Turning left on to the Southern Line after departure.

Approaching the Rama VI Bridge.

My ticket for the Special Express 37 Thaksin Express in the ANS40.

Tickets are checked upon departure from Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal.

Bang Bamru Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Bang Bamru Railway Station.

Heading out of the electrified Red Line tracks after Taling Chan Junction.

Heading on the non-electrified double track to Nakhon Pathom.

Time for a walkabout around the train while the tracks are still good for photos.

Bogie Third Class Carriage (BTC76)

There are a few Bogie Third Class Carriage (BTC76) which offers the cheapest class of travel on board the Special Express 37 Thaksin Express. While not ideal for long haul travel, this does get people around the country for cheap.

Bogie Second Class Carriage (BSC)

There is 1 Bogie Second Class Carriage (BSC) attached on the Special Express 37 Thaksin Express. These have individual reclining seats, and perhaps the next best option after the berths are sold out.

Air-Conditioned First Class Day & Night Coach (ANF24)

There is 1 Air-Conditioned First Class Day & Night Coach (ANF24) attached on the Special Express 37 Thaksin Express.

There are 12 compartments which sleeps up to 2 persons each.

Due to the single-track and single-platform operation at Nakhon Pathom, my Special Express 37 had to wait outside for a Bangkok-bound train to clear the station first.

Heading in to Nakhon Pathom Railway Station. This resulted in a delay of 23 minutes here.

Passing by Nong Pladuk Junction Railway Station with the new station building and high platforms coming up.

The branch line to Suphan Buri branches off after Nong Pladuk Junction.

The branch line to Kanchanaburi and Nam Tok technically branches off after Nong Pladuk Junction too, but continues parallel with the main line and splits closer to Ban Pong.

Ban Pong Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Ban Pong Railway Station.

Bogie Restaurant Car

I headed to the Bogie Restaurant Car to get dinner after departure from Ban Pong. I could have dinner at my seat, however, I had a seat neighbour, and I did not wish to intrude into the shared space.

The set menus available on board the Bogie Restaurant Car. Prices have increased, with dinner sets now at 190 Baht.

Meals are freshly prepared on board the Bogie Restaurant Car upon order.

The non-air-conditioned car also gave me good sunset views from the train.

I ordered the Set F of Train Fried Rice (190 Baht). This comes with a fried egg, spring rolls, pineapples, side soup, and a small bottle of orange juice.

Most of the meal was served in this bento box. The hot items were properly served hot, which is a plus.

The Train Fried Rice tasted like regular fried rice to me, and looked and tasted far away from the previous caterer before the pandemic. And back then, it only costed 90 Baht if I remembered correctly.

What was listed as Shumai in the menu, was however, swapped with spring rolls instead, which is fine by me.

The pineapple serving was a bit too generous for me, and I couldn’t finish it all.

The side soup consisted of mixed vegetables, tofu, and minced pork.

The small bottle of orange juice was served cold, which complemented the set meal.

Passing through Ratchaburi after crossing Chulalongkorn Bridge.

Ratchaburi Railway Station

Arriving at Ratchaburi Railway Station.

Making a brief but important stop at Ratchaburi Railway Station, because here is where everyone buys the famous Kway Teow.

Thankfully, I was still seated in the Bogie Restaurant Car, so I had an open window to conveniently buy from the platform hawker from. I bought 2 boxes for 10 Baht each.

The Kway Teow was nicely seasoned and with sides of fish cake slices and a fish ball. Well worth the 10 Baht price which had not increased for years.

The sun quickly set after I had my heavy dinner.

Once I got back to my seat, my attendant was converting my seat into a berth.

Bedding was prepared and kept in the upper berth.

My laid out lower berth with sheets, a pillow, and blanket kept in a plastic bag.

The overall space available in the lower berth. The Tokyu ANS has a much smaller space available as compared with the Daewoo ANS.

A storage net and reading lamp is available behind the seat back which can be flipped up to form a shelf. However, my reading lamp was not working.

With the beds made up and I had an early start to the day in Bangkok, I went to sleep early.

Hat Yai Junction Railway Station

I woke up just before Hat Yai Junction Railway Station.

At Hat Yai Junction Railway Station, station hawkers came on board to sell Hat Yai fried chicken.

I bought a chicken drumstick, chicken liver, and sticky rice for breakfast. This costs 60 Baht in total.

Cold drinks are available, with concentrated drinks to pour in a big bag of ice. I bought an iced coffee for 30 Baht.

The Special Express 45 International Express splits from my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express at Hat Yai Junction Railway Station.

The 2 coaches of the Special Express 45 International Express gets shunted off to the next platform where there is a waiting BTC76 operating on the short Special Express 45 International Express sector from Hat Yai Junction to Padang Besar only.

My Special Express 37 Thaksin Express rake at Hat Yai Junction Railway Station.

The full van then gets returned to my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express and the staff gets some unloading done.

GEA 4524 now leads my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express onwards to Sungai Kolok.

Armed military personnel are also now on board my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express for safety reasons. However, they are very friendly and obliging for photos.

Splitting off from the line towards Padang Besar, Malaysia, turning left towards Sungai Kolok.

Chana Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Chana Railway Station.

The attendant starts to clear the beds back into seats only after departure from Hat Yai Junction.

After clearing the used sheets, fresh sheets are placed on the upper berth before reloading it with bedding for the return trip back to Bangkok when the train u-turns as Special Express 38.

My berth is now back into a seat, but the upper berths remain open.

The attendant cleared the bottom berths for passengers to sit first, before reloading the bedding into the upper berths together.

Once the upper berth has been reloaded with new bedding, it gets closed up.

Pattani Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Pattani Railway Station.

Yala Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Yala Railway Station.

Most passengers on the deep southern leg got off at Yala, and my coach was quite empty after.

Ruso Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Ruso Railway Station.

Looks like some track rehabilitation might be under way with lots of ballast here.

Tanyong Mat Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Tanyong Mat Railway Station.

Sungai Padi Railway Station

Making a brief stop at Sungai Padi Railway Station.

Sungai Kolok Railway Station

My Special Express 37 Thaksin Express arrived at Sungai Kolok Railway Station at 10.55am, 20 minutes delayed. Surprisingly, there was no domino effect on my initial delay at Nakhon Pathom, and my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express ran largely according to the running time, resulting in about the same amount of minutes of delay.

My locomotive was ahead of the platform in the bushes, so unfortunately, I couldn’t get a front shot here.

My Special Express 37 Thaksin Express also arrived on the platform between station’s island platform and the entrance, so that means I will need to use one of the coaches to cross out to the exit later.

The locomotive and full van detached from my rake while running around.

The island platform of Sungai Kolok Railway Station.

Heading out of Sungai Kolok Railway Station via open doors of my Special Express 37 Thaksin Express.

The entrance (right) and exit (left) of Sungai Kolok Railway Station.

There are x-ray scanners in the entrance of Sungai Kolok Railway Station for security reasons.

There are waiting motorcycle taxis outside Sungai Kolok Railway Station with riders in bright orange vests for onwards commute. The fare from Sungai Kolok Railway Station to the border costs 50 Baht.

Conclusion

It was a good ride on board Thailand’s longest train journey with a minimal delay of 20 minutes despite the long route length of 1151.21 kilometers. Travelling in second class was not only cheaper, but offered easier access to the hawkers walking around the train. Having power sockets at every seat on this refurbished coach was also a huge plus, and I alighted at Sungai Kolok Railway Station with all my devices fully charged.