Guide to Special Express No. 9: Bangkok to Chiang Mai
This is Special Express No. 9 sleeper train that goes from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 6:40 p.m. and arrives in Chiang Mai at 7:15 a.m. the next morning. It uses the newer CNR sleeper carriages and so is slightly more expensive than the Special Express No. 13 train that leaves an hour and a half later. This train has a dining car, one carriage with wheelchair lift and accessible toilets, and one carriage only for women and young children.
Please note, from 5th December 2025 onwards, this train bypasses Lopburi city and stops at the new Lop Buri 2 (Tha Wung) Station. You then have to take local transport into the city.
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Tickets in 1st Class are 1,453 baht for the upper berth, 1,653 baht for the lower berth, and 2,453 to book the cabin if you are travelling alone. In 2nd Class, tickets are 941 baht for the upper berth and 1,041 baht for the lower berth. There is a discount for children. The return journey is made by No. 10 Special Express train.
RELATED LINKS: Full information about the CNR Sleeper Carriages
TRAIN TIMETABLE ตารางรถไฟขบวน9
Timetable Updated: 5th December 2025
All times are subject to change, Please check with the station master where you bought your ticket or call 1690.
TICKET PRICES AND HOW TO BUY THEM
Lower bunks are always more expensive as they are slightly bigger and give more privacy. It also has a window with curtains and so you can enjoy the view in the morning while you lie in bed. The upper bunk doesn’t have a window and is nearer to the light which is on all night. It is also nearer to the air-conditioning and so it can be colder. In 1st Class, there are two berths per cabin. If you only book one berth then you could find yourself in a cabin with a stranger. The only way to solve this problem is to book the entire room.
Tickets can be bought 180 days in advance from the official D-Ticket website. However, they don’t sell all the seats online. Even if it says full, you might want to call 1690 or check at your local railway station. Some people have reported trouble using their credit cards on the official website and have told me they prefer the agency website such as 12GO which also have a better interface. This also has the advantage that they are queuing up at the ticket office at the railway station the second tickets go on sale. For more information, please visit my How to Buy Train Tickets page.
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| 1ST CLASS | 2ND CLASS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DESTINATION | LOWER | UPPER | BOOK ROOM | LOWER | UPPER |
| Nakhon Sawan | 1,218 baht | 1,018 baht | 2,018 baht | 810 baht | 710 baht |
| Phitsanulok | 1,354 baht | 1,154 baht | 2,154 baht | 889 baht | 789 baht |
| Sila At | 1,427 baht | 1,227 baht | 2,227 baht | 922 baht | 822 baht |
| Den Chai | 1,491 baht | 1,291 baht | 2,291 baht | 967 baht | 867 baht |
| Nakhon Lampang | 1,572 baht | 1,372 baht | 2,372 baht | 1,004 baht | 904 baht |
| Khun Tan | 1,602 baht | 1,402 baht | 2,402 baht | 1,018 baht | 918 baht |
| Lamphun | 1,635 baht | 1,435 baht | 2,435 baht | 1,033 baht | 933 baht |
| Chiang Mai | 1,653 baht | 1,453 baht | 2,453 baht | 1,041 baht | 941 baht |
RETURN TO: Train Finder for the Northern Line | Train Timetables
Hello, I plan to go to Laos by train. However, I would like to experience the CNR train. Is it possible to take the train to Nong Khai and then continue with train number 133 from Nong Khai to Vientiane (Khamsavath)?
Yes I did exactly that on my train journey to Beijing. Click here to see my reviews (checkout train 7 and 8).
Hi everyone,
I’ve booked a Bangkok → Chiang Mai train ticket starting from Krung Thep Aphiwat (Bangkok), but I’d like to board at the next stop (Don Mueang).
Has anyone done this before? Is it allowed by SRT, or will my seat be marked as a no-show if I don’t board at the origin station?
Would love to hear your experiences or tips 🙏
You will have no problem doing that as it is only one stop later.
What I used to be able to get the tickets as soon as they were available was:
Using dticket.railway.co.th
– Pre-setup an account and register a credit card.
– Have the passport numbers and relevant passenger information for the entire party. The most I was able to purchase was 4 tickets.
– Update my computer time to Thailand time. The website appears to use your local time in the browser to indicate which dates are available. This was an issue for me as the tickets would be on sale for 4 hours normally before I would even be able to select the date.
– Wait until 8:30 AM (Local Thailand Time) the day they become available to purchase (180 days from departure date).
I was able to be first in line and and pick which cabins my party wanted.
Never mind – I searched the actual railway location rather than just ‘Bangkok’ and it worked. Can’t wait!
Is anyone else finding their offical site just says /Data Not Found/ for any date they search this route? I would have used 12go but cannot book first class via that.
Does the train company changed something on how long the 1st class tickets are bookable in advance? On your website it says 90 days, but when I check the December for example, everything is sold out. Even on January, February – up to the 13th of march. That looks more like 180 days to me!?
Sorry, that has now been changed to 180 days. I need to change that. Thanks.
hi richard, i have read that tickets for the first class cabin are available from 180 days out from date of travel. do you have a direct link to the booking website as i keep getting redirected to 12goasia.com and the first class cabin is unable to booked.
thank you in advance for your help
The official site is https://www.dticket.railway.co.th/ But this is a very popular route and tickets often sell out quickly in 1st Class
good news, we secured a booking on the first class sleeper carriage. cant wait to do this train journey.
I am interested in this . I will be visiting Thailand in January. Is it 2453 baht for the entire cabin ?
Is food and drink available for purchase?
Yes, that is the cost for single occupancy. There is a dining car on this train.
What’s the best option to book for my wife and I + our 6 years old daughter? Thanks.
Try the online booking D-Ticket or your local station. But that is the most popular route and I already noted some dates in December are already fully booked.
Hi,
how do i book one upper berth and one lower berth? All the options shown are either upper or lower berth
You need to change number of passengers to TWO and then proceed from there.
Hello
Is there no sleeper with only fan?
Only on a few southern routes
Hallo,
If I go with my wife with train no9 first class must I book a room by you or one beth up and one beth below.
If you are two people then one must book upper berth and one lower berth. Booking the room is for single occupancy.
Hello! If I am travelling with my husband, can you book two seats that are one on top of the other? Thank you!
Yes, just get one upper and one lower berth. So, 1 + 2, 3 + 4 etc.
Hi, I booked train #9 for single occupancy. Is it possible at a later point to change the ticket and add a passenger?
No, you would have to cancel your ticket and then buy another. However, please call 1690 hotline to check if that information is uptodate.
Do they allow a cat on the train? Would it be allowed in the first class sleeper cabin? How can we check?
Pet animals are only allowed in carriages with fans and open windows. They are not allowed in air-conditioned carriages.