Thai rail, today and tomorrow

1 of 10 · The network

From Bangkok, four lines hold the country together

Seen from above, Thailand's railway map draws a star. The Northern Line climbs to Chiang Mai, the Northeastern to Nong Khai and the Mekong, the Eastern to Pattaya and the Cambodian border, and the Southern runs down to Hua Hin, Surat Thani and Hat Yai. The State Railway of Thailand network counts 4,044.0 km of track and serves 47 provinces. By rail, Chiang Mai lies 744.0 km from the capital, Nong Khai 614.0 km, Hat Yai 938.0 km.

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

Track length as published for 2020.

2 of 10 · The hub

All the main-line trains now leave from a single station

On 19 January 2023, the Northern, Northeastern and Southern main-line trains left the old Hua Lamphong station for Krung Thep Aphiwat, the former Bang Sue central station. 26 platforms, 274,192 m² of floor space: it is the largest station in Southeast Asia. The suburban Red Lines already run from here, and both announced high-speed lines are due to arrive. Within 2 km of its platforms we track 50 developments; their median asking price reaches THB 111,402/m² (€2,903), against THB 80,318/m² (€2,093) for Bangkok as a whole.

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

A coincidence, not a cause: the circle also takes in Chatuchak and Mo Chit, served by the metro.

3 of 10 · The Northern Line

Chiang Mai is still a night away by train

Night train no. 9 leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 18:40 and pulls into Chiang Mai at 07:15, after 744.0 km and 12 h 35 min in a sleeper. The fastest day train takes 10 h 20 min. By road, without traffic, the journey takes 8 h 25 min. In Chiang Mai, the line ends on the east bank of the Ping. Within 2 km of the station we track 38 developments, at a median asking price of THB 58,674/m² (€1,529); Mueang Chiang Mai district, which takes in the old city, stands at THB 55,844/m² (€1,455). A northern high-speed line exists on paper: a first phase of 380.0 km to Phitsanulok, whose feasibility study was completed on 8 March 2023, then 288.0 km on to Chiang Mai; no opening date has been announced.

Road time without traffic; straight-line distances around the station.

4 of 10 · The Southern Line

In Hua Hin, the station sits at the heart of the priciest district

Hua Hin lies 222.0 km from Bangkok by rail. The fastest train, no. 43, leaves at 07:30 and arrives at 10:31, a 3 h 1 min journey; 11 trains make the run every day. By car, without traffic, allow 2 h 29 min. Here the station is not on the edge of town: it stands in the old town, a few streets from the sea. The 24 developments we track within 2 km show a median asking price of THB 85,176/m² (€2,220), 78.3% above the district as a whole, at THB 47,774/m² (€1,245). The southern high-speed line, Bangkok – Hua Hin, 211.0 km, remains at the planning stage, with no opening date announced.

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

A coincidence, not a cause: the 2 km circle covers the old centre and the seafront.

5 of 10 · The Eastern Line

Pattaya has one train a day, and its station turns its back on the sea

A single train links Bangkok and Pattaya each day: no. 283, leaving Hua Lamphong at 06:55, arrives at 10:34, after 155.0 km and 3 h 39 min, for 31 baht. By road, without traffic, it takes 1 h 37 min. The station lies east of Sukhumvit Road, far from the beaches: half of the 652 developments we track in Pattaya are more than 5.7 km away from it. The 43 closest ones, within 2 km, show THB 44,284/m² (€1,154), 17.7% below the Pattaya median of THB 53,834/m² (€1,403).

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

6 of 10 · The eastern project

On paper, the eastern high-speed line runs alongside almost the whole Chon Buri market

The three-airport high-speed train is meant to link Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao over 220.0 km, with 9 stations including Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Si Racha and Pattaya, at 250 km/h. The EECO, the corridor's public agency, announces Bangkok 60 minutes from the EEC, an investment of THB 271,824 million and full service in 2031. The contract was signed on 24 October 2019; works have not begun, and on 27 August 2026 the concessionaire, Asia Era One, reaffirmed its request to terminate it. As of 14 September 2026, the government had not decided: the file is due back before the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee, and Asia Era One keeps running the Airport Rail Link until 31 January 2027, when an SRT subsidiary is to take it over. Laid on our map, the announced route brushes past most of the market: 837 of the 944 developments we track in Chon Buri province, or 88.7%, lie within 5 km of the line.

An announced project, not an accomplished fact; route as contributed to OpenStreetMap, straight-line distances.

7 of 10 · The corridor

The EEC draws the factories; on the coast, prices tell of two towns

The Eastern Economic Corridor covers three provinces, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong, over 13,266 km². In the first half of 2025, it drew THB 660.63 billion in investment applications to the Board of Investment, 62% of the national total. On the Chon Buri coast, prices tell of two towns. In Si Racha, home to the port of Laem Chabang, our 100 developments show a median asking price of THB 39,610/m² (€1,032). Further south, in Pattaya, THB 53,834/m² (€1,403) across 652 developments. In Chon Buri town, THB 33,102/m² (€863).

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

Investment applications filed, not investments made.

8 of 10 · The northeastern high-speed line

The only high-speed line under construction heads for the Mekong and China

The first phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed line, Bangkok – Nakhon Ratchasima, runs 250.77 km with 6 stations, at 250 km/h. On 25 August 2026 the project reported 56.75% progress, and the SRT is aiming for service in 2030. The announced journey time is 1 h 30 min; today the fastest train takes 3 h 50 min, the road without traffic 3 h 7 min. The second phase, to Nong Khai on the Mekong, 356.0 km, was approved by the Cabinet on 4 February 2025, with opening announced for 2031. On the far bank, the Boten – Vientiane line, 422.0 km, has run to Kunming since 3 December 2021. Today, Bangkok – Nong Khai takes 8 h 45 min by train.

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

Timetable as announced by the SRT; it has already slipped.

9 of 10 · The metre-gauge network

While the high-speed line advances, the classic railway doubles up and reaches north

The double-tracking programme approved in 2018 covers 993.0 km in 7 packages; most sections already run on double track. Two new lines are rising. Den Chai – Chiang Rai – Chiang Khong, 323.1 km towards the Laotian border: civil works stood at 57% in May 2026, with completion announced for 2028. Ban Phai – Nakhon Phanom, 355.0 km across Isan to the Mekong, is expected in 2029. A second doubling phase, 946.0 km towards Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Surat Thani, is planned beyond 2030.

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

10 of 10 · What the stations show

Around the stations, prices follow the town more than the track

Side by side, the four stations speak of their towns' geography more than of the train's effect. Where the station touches a sought-after district, nearby developments ask more than their market: 78.3% in Hua Hin's old town, 38.7% around Krung Thep Aphiwat, facing Chatuchak. In Chiang Mai, where the station stands on the far bank of the Ping, the gap narrows to 5.1%. In Pattaya, set back from the beaches, it reverses: -17.7%. The table lists, for each station, the developments within 2 km and their median asking price, against that of their market.

• In service
• Under construction
• Planned

A coincidence, not a cause; asking prices, not sales.