https://www.thaitrainguide.com/2024/09/20/train-vs-plane-why-slowing-down-might-be-the-best-way-to-see-thailand/ The Railways of Thailand and Southeast Asia Thu, 03 Oct 2024 13:19:25 +0000 hourly 1 https://www.thaitrainguide.com/2024/09/20/train-vs-plane-why-slowing-down-might-be-the-best-way-to-see-thailand/#comment-35771 Thu, 03 Oct 2024 13:19:25 +0000 https://www.thaitrainguide.com/?p=6900#comment-35771 Train travel can be great fun if you are a leisure traveler with all the time in the world. But let’s get a couple of untruths out of the way. 1. In Thailand trains are hauled entirely by locomotives powered by a particularly dirty fossil fuel i.e. diesel. Chugging along for 12 hours spewing out diesel fumes does NOT produce less emissions than a 1 hour plane flight. And we haven’t even begin to consider the carbon emissions produced by maintaining and renewing thousands of miles of surface. infrastructure.
2. Thailand’s airports serve a multitude of cities that trains do not go anywhere near and are extremely close to their respective city centres. Bangkok’s brand new Central station is only a couple of miles away from Don Mueng (so what’s the difference) and it’s significantly more inconvenient to get to than Suvarnabhumi if you live on the eastern seaboard.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a train ride but train travel is no more climate friendly than air travel.

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