Singapore to Chiang Mai by Train

Rail Passes

KTM Rail Passes are available for overseas tourists at railway ticket agents and major railway stations including Singapore, KL and Penang. They are good for unlimited rail travel in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore though you may have to pay supplement charges on some trains, for example for sleeper berths, and are not valid on commuter trains out of KL.

Pass prices

• Second class: Adults
• US$35/55/70 for 5/10/15 days
• Second Class: Children under 14
• US$18/28/35 for 5/10/15 days
• First class: Adults
• US$55/120 for 10/30 days
• First class: Children under 14
• US$28/60 for 10/30 days

If you are under 30 and hold an ISIC, YIEE or YH card then you may be able to get an Explorer pass for Malaysia and Singapore (but not Thailand) for 7 days unlimited second class travel for US$32. However this now appears to be only possible if you are Malaysian or a student in Malaysia. The KTM website will have up-to-date information.

Explorer Passes are available in Malaysia at the following Student Travel Centers:

Kuala Lumpur	Petaling Jaya	Penang
66, Jalan Putra, AMCORP 50350, Kuala Lumpur.	Level 8, PJ Tower, 18 Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya.	Agora Hotel Lobby, Macalister Rd. 10400 Georgetown.
Tel: (03) 4042 4722	Tel: (03) 7955 3191	Tel: (04) 227 2655
Fax: (603) 4043 3707	Fax: (603) 7955 8852	Fax: (604) 227 2102

Bookings

During the run up to and for the duration of major holidays in Thailand train bookings will be very heavy and reservations may be impossible to get. Third class is often jam-packed and you may even find floor space impossible to get.

Booking at least the day before is highly recommended and essential on some more popular routes like the International Express and Bangkok to Chiang-Mai, both of which are often full.

Tickets can be booked up to a month in advance in both Malaysia and Thailand. Tickets for Malaysian trains can be bought on-line.

You can either print out the ticket yourself or pick it up once you are in Malaysia. In Georgetown, there is a ticket office off the causeway leading to the ferry so there is no need to actually cross over to Butterworth. It’s open 9 to 5, though during Ramadan, the hours can be erratic.

In Bangkok, most travel agents have heard of trains and can get you a ticket at the same price as at the station. If you must do it yourself there is a large advance booking office in Hualamphong Station to the right of the platforms. It’s busy but the staff are very helpful. Open until 5pm, 7 days a week.

Best Web Resources

• GuideMalaysia.com
• Many links to Malaysian websites.
• Malaysian Railways (KTM)
• State Railways of Thailand (SRT)
• Eastern & Oriental Express
• Malaysian Tourism
• Some useful rail pass information but it hasn’t been updated since 2006.
• Thai Tourism
• Quite a bit of useful information.
• Seat 61
• An excellent rail travel site covering most countries and regions of the world.
• Discovery.com and thaifocus.com
• Both can be used to pre-order tickets for Thai trains. However a recent timetable warns passengers to only purchase tickets from main stations or SRT ticket agencies.
• Youthcard.net and ISIC
• Sites offering information on student and youth cards.

Main Station addresses

• Singapore Railway Station: Keppel Road just to the south-east of China Town. Tel: 02 222-5165 & 02 221-3390
• Kuala Lumpur Station (old station), Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin KL Sentral (new station), Jalan Travers Tel: +03 2274-7434
• Hualamphong Station (Bangkok): Rama IV Road NR Krung Kasem Road. Tel +66 (0)1 223-3762 & +66 (0)1 224-7788. 24hr Hotline 1690.

Example Train Times & 2nd Class prices

For more train times see the KTM and SRT web sites.