In 2022, the State Railway of Thailand refurbished a number of Kiha-183 trains that had been donated to them by the Hokkaido Railway Company. These trains had been designed for the harsh conditions of Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture. With their distinctive elevated cab and a slanted nose, they are proving to be popular as special excursion trains in Thailand.

NEXT TRIP: The next four trips are advertised for 25th & 26th February and 11th & 12th March 2023. Tickets go on sale from 20th February 2023. Again the day-trip is to Chachoengsao Province. Cost of the ticket is 1,999 Baht for the round trip in the air-conditioned train. This includes a bus and boat transfer and lunch. Please note, the trip is aimed at Thai tourists and some stops might not be of interest to foreigners. Also, Thai will be the main language for the guides.

PHOTO BLOG: Kiha-183 Excursion Train to Chachoengsao

DAY-TRIP TO CHACHOENGSAO PROVINCE

This is a one-day excursion to Chachoengsao onboard the refurbished Japanese Kiha-183 train. The meeting place is at Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong) at around 7:00 a.m. The train will promptly depart at 7:40 a.m. Stops along the way to pick up passengers include Makkasan, Khlong Tan, Hua Mak, Lat Krabang, and Phra Chom Klao. Please note, as this train takes the Eastern Line out of Bangkok, the train will not stop at Bang Sue or Don Mueang stations. The journey time to Chachoengsao is about one hour and twenty minutes. You will be given a Japanese bento box with snacks. A guide will also tell you about the trip ahead.

Please note, all times and the itinerary is subject to change.

The Kiha-183 train will pass Chachoengsao Junction and then at 9:10 a.m. it will stop in the middle of the bridge over the Bang Pakong River for around 20 minutes. Due to the ramp either end, this is the longest railway bridge in Thailand at a length of 1,743.20 metres. Even longer than the longest viaduct over Pasak Chonlasit reservoir. The train will then return back to Chachoengsao Junction at 9:40 a.m. Here the passengers will change to air-conditioned bus.

The first stop on the tour is the nearby Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan. This is said to be the biggest Buddhist temple in Thailand. At this point I should point out that the tour is mainly aimed at Thai tourists as most stops will be at temples. At this one they will be paying respect to the most revered Buddha image called Luang Pho Sothon. They will stay here for about one hour.

At 10:40 p.m., the tour group will head to the nearby Chinese temple at Wat Chin Pracha Samosorn (Leng Hok Yi). Highlight is three Buddha images that are remarkably made of paper.

Lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m. at The River Barn restaurant on the banks of the Bang Pakong River. This is close to the railway bridge. The food is included in the package price.

Then at 1:00 p.m. there will be a chance to visit 100 Year Old Ban Mai Market nearby to do some shopping for food souvenirs to take home.

At 2:00 p.m., the tour group will head to the pier at Bang Khla Riverside Market where they will take a boat trip along the Bang Pakong River at 2:30 p.m. for about an hour. Along the way they will be able to see a memorial for King Taksin, a golden temple at Wat Pak Nam Jolo, the beautiful riverside temple at Wat Phuttha Prommayan, the world’s largest bronze Standing Ganesha at Ganesha Park, and the thousands of bats at Wat Pho Bang Khla. Please note, the boat won’t be making any stops during the cruise.

At 3:15 p.m., the coach will take the tour group to Wat Saman Rattanaram which is about 30 minutes away. They will stay here for about an hour. Highlight is a gigantic image of a bright pink Reclining Ganesha which is 16 metres tall and 24 metres long. In Ganesha’s hands, he holds a broken tusk in one hand and a lotus flower in another. The riverside temple is huge and there are many other images such as Guan Yin the Goddess of Mercy, Indra riding a three-headed elephant, and a large Naga serpent.

The coach will leave at 4:30 p.m. and head back to Chachoengsao Junction Station. Here you will have time to take some selfies with the Kiha-183 train before the train departs for Bangkok at 5:20 p.m. The train will stop to drop passengers off at the following stations: Phra Chom Klao (5:47 p.m.), Lat Krabang (5:52 p.m.), Hua Mak (6:04 p.m.), Khlong Tan (6:12 p.m.), Makkasan (6:20 p.m.) and Bangkok (6:35 p.m.).

You can buy tickets for this trip at your local station or online at the official website D-Ticket or their app. The cost is 1,999 Baht for the round trip that includes lunch and local transportation. There are four carriages. The carriage at each end only has 40 seats each as they include the driver’s cab. The two carriages in the middle have 68 seats each. 200 out of 216 seats will go on sale as the other seats are for railway staff and guides. Click here to see more pictures of the inside of the train including the toilets.

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