Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bangkok)

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (also known as Bang Sue Grand Station) is Bangkok’s new main train terminal and the start and finish point for most long distance train services in Thailand.

Train Services from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

The train station for long distance train services to and from Bangkok has now changed:

• Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal: From the 19th January 2023 all 52 long distance Rapid, Express, and Special Express services in Thailand depart from, or arrive into, Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal.
• Hua Lamphong Railway Station: A small number of long distance train services and Ordinary train services still depart from and arrive into Hua Lamphong Railway Station, however, for long distance travel by train you will almost always need to travel to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to board your train rather than Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

Currently 8 platform are being used for long distance train travel at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal:

• Northern Line (Bangkok to Chiang Mai):
  • Departures: Platforms 1 & 2
  • Arrivals: Plaforms 5 & 6
• Northern Eastern Line (Bangkok to Nong Khai and Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani):
  • Departures: Platforms 1 & 2
  • Arrivals: Plaforms 5 & 6
• Southern Line (Bangkok to Malaysia via Hua Hin, Chumphon and Surat Thani):
  • Departures: Platforms 7 & 8
  • Arrivals: Plaforms 11 & 12

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Train Times from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Chiang Mai

There are currently 5 train services a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Chiang Mai.

Train Times from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Surat Thani

There are currently 9 train services a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Surat Thani (for travel to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan).

Train Times from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Chumphon

There are currently 9 train services a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Chumphon (for travel to Koh Tao).

Train Times from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Nong Khai

There are currently 3 train services a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Nong Khai (for travel to Laos).

Location of Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

• Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is 2.9 km by road to the West of Chatuchak Weekend Market.

About Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, which is Bangkok´s new ultra modern main train station, opened for long distance train travel in early 2023. The plan to build this terminal was finalised in 2010, and the construction has been ongoing since 2013. The reason it took so long to build is in large part due to its size and the new railway tracks which had to be built to connect with the station. These new railway tracks are elevated, and for many travellers using the new station for the first time they will pleasantly surprised by the panoramic views of Bangkok they get as they arrive and depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. The views are particularly spectacular if travel on the Northern or North Eastern train lines past Don Mueang Airport and through Pathum Thani on the Northern edge of Bangkok.

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal has 26 train platforms spread out over 3 levels and an internal floor space of 274,192 sqm. This makes the new terminal the largest railway station in South East Asia. As point of comparison, the old main train station in Bangkok, Hua Lamphong, sturggled at times to cope with 60,000 passengers passing through each day. Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal has been designed to accommodate ten times that number, a massive 600,000 members of the travelling public arriving or departing from the station everyday.

If you visit Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal at the moment, and most likely for at least a few more years, you will notice that the station feels empty. The reason for that is that only just over half of the platforms are currently in use. 8 platforms are being used for long distance train services. 4 platforms are being used for suburban light railway services, and 4 platforms in the basement of the station are reserved for underground train services. This leaves 10 platform on the top level of the station which are entirely unused.

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal has been constructed to accommodate a new generation of high speed train services and this is where the massive numbers of additional passengers is predicted to come from. The 10 platforms on the top floor have been reserved for these future high speed services.

Several new high speed train projects are currently under construction in Thailand, and several more are planned. One of these projects is a domestic high speed service linking Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Don Mueang International Airport and then onto U-Tapao International Airport, which is close to Pattaya. The other high speed rail projects are much more ambitious and involve constructing parts of a high speed railway network linking China to Singapore via Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. The new network, often referred to as the Pan Asia Railway Network, is a Chinese led project the first part of which opened at the end of 2022 with commencement of high speed railway services in Laos.

Food and Drink at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal currently has a small range of food and drink outlets. It will take some time until food and beverage facilities in and around Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal are as extensive as those at the old main train station, Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

Currently there are three locations in Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal where you can purchase food and drink. For fresh cooked food and drinks the largest collection of outlets is in a food court close to the main entrance to the train station, close to entrance Gate 1. The food on offer is Thai and Chinese style dishes, largely with rice and noodles, as well as a stall selling very good fresh coffee and a small shop selling snacks and drinks to take away.

The second place you can buy food and drink at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is at a cluster of vending machines at the other end of the station close to the entrance to the MRT (metro) station. There are hot and cold drinks on sale, and a small range of snacks, at these vending machines.

The third place you can buy food and drink at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is at a kiosk close to the waiting area for long distance train services. Snacks and drinks are currently being sold at this kiosk, which is shaped like a train carriage, although not all the space is currently being utilised so the range of items being offerred is likely to expand.

Information at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is a very large train station and if you are visiting for the first time it may not be immediately clear where you need to go in order to board your train. There are overhead signs in Thai and English throughout the station and in order to board a long distance train you should follow the signs saying ´Long Distance Trains´.

If you can´t work out which way to go to board your train using the signs, then we recommend that you ask at one of the circular information desks at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Customer service representatives at the information desks will be able to communicate with travellers in Thai and in English, and often other langauges such as Chinese.

Other Facilies at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

Because Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is a very new train station, which has only just started receiving passengers in significant numbers, the range of services is very limited. There is currently no left luggage service at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, or services such as massage parlours, post offices, shoe repair or key cutting shops.

The main facilities at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal are its very large inside waiting areas which are similar to airport departure lounges. These waiting areas are located near to the entrance gates to Platform 1 & 2 and Platforms 7 & 8. The reason these waiting areas are so large is that passengers are required to wait on the Ground Floor of the train station until the train is ready to board. The gates to the platform will generally open up to 30 minutes before the train departure time, however, many travellers choose to wait by the gate so that they can board the train as soon as the gate to the platform is open.

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal also has lots of very clean and very modern toilet facilities. The toilet facilities, like the waiting areas, are similar to the type of toilet facilities you would expect to find at a large international airport.

The other useful facilities at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal are the mobile phone charging stations installed in various locations on the Ground Floor of the station. These mobile phone charging stations are free to use and therefore very popular. The mobile phone charging station near to the food court and the main entrance tends to be busiest. However, if you search around you find available charging points near the waiting areas for long distance train departures.

Local Transport at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal is well connected to Bangkok´s public transport network, and travel to most other parts of the city by public transport is generally fast and relatively inexpensive.

MRT Services

There is an entrance to the Bang Sue MRT station inside Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Bang Sue is on the MRT Blue Line, which is an undergound train service that runs in a loop linking the train station to areas in Central Bangkok such as the Silom and Sukhumvit Roads, and the old main railway station, Hua Lamphong, which is in Bangkok´s exciting China Town area.

The MRT Blue Line also connects with other Bangkok public transport networks such as the Airport Link (which links to Suvarnabhumi International Airport), the BTS (which is an overhead train network covering large parts of the city), and the Chao Phraya Express Boat Service (which is a commuter boat service running on the main river with stops near the Khao San Road and Grand Palace).

Light Red and Dark Red SRT lines

The Light Red and Dark Red SRT lines are suburban light railway services:

• Light Red Line: Runs West from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Taling Chan.
• Dark Red Line: Runs North from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Rangsit, stopping at Don Mueang International Airport on route.

Bus Services

There are currently bus services on 27 routes departing from the bus stop at the rear of Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Bus services in Bangkok tend to be slower than using suburban rail services but are useful for reaching some parts of the city.

At the moment a free shuttle bus travelling direct from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Hua Lamphong Railway Station is in operation every day from 04:30 to 23:00 These services depart from the same area as normal bus services, and provide a relatively quick way to travel to China Town in Bangkok, which is fairly close to the famous Khao San Road.

Taxi Services

Meter taxis and tuk-tuks wait at a rank at the rear of Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal close to the bus stops.

At the present time there is no organised booking desk at the taxi rank at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. If you are travelling by taxi from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal make sure to agree with driver in advance to use the meter to charge for your journey. For tuk-tuks you need to agree a price with the driver in advance.

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