Pattaya-Bangkok train set to launch in March
An air-conditioned passenger train will begin operating from the capital to Pattaya next month, state railway authorities said Monday.
Depending on popularity, the new rail service may be made permanent – or canceled altogether.
“We want there to be more of a tourism feel when people are on their way to Pattaya,” Oratai Suwannatas, tourism marketing executive at the State Railway of Thailand said. “We expect Thai tourists and also a large number of Chinese tourists to use the train.”
The train will start trial runs on a yet unannounced date in March. It will depart Bangkok at 6:30am and reach Pattaya at 9am. For the return trip, the train will depart Pattaya at 3:50pm and reach the capital at 6:50pm.
That makes for a journey a little slower than the average drive, but without the driving or hunting for a bus.
The train will have six stops: Si Racha town, North Pattaya, Pattaya Floating Market, Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden, Wat Yan Sang Wararam and finally terminate at Ban Phlu Ta Luang in Sattahip district.
Oratai said that the diesel-run train is still in its planning stage and will have a trial period of six months. It will run only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Ticket prices for the of the air-conditioned trains have not been decided yet, but Oratai said that “the investment cost for trains is high.”
Source: Khaosod
