A guide to train travel Southeast Asia, featuring resources for buying tickets and reviews of rail travel in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia railways index
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
Southeast Asia train travel resources
Southeast Asia train travel FAQs
Future Southeast Asia railways
Cambodia
Railway Operator: Royal Railway.
Buy Cambodia train tickets Baolau.
Cambodia train travel articles
Cambodia railways – a guide to train travel in Cambodia.
The Japanese train in Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the KiHa train from Hokkaido
Battambang to Phnom Penh by train
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville by train
Riding the Bamboo Railway in Battambang
The bamboo railways in Battambang: Comparing the original and new bamboo trains
Indonesia
Railway Operator: Kereta Api Indonesia
Buy Indonesia train tickets Tiket.
Java train travel articles
Java Railways: maps and resources for Java train travel
Jakarta Airport Rail Link – Train details, and which stations are best for visitors.
Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (Whoosh): A guide to the fastest train in Southeast Asia
Bandung to Yogyakarta by train – one of the most scenic rail journeys in Southeast Asia
KA Probowangi: Train from Surabaya to Ketapang (for the Bali ferry)
Java to Bali by train, ferry, and bus
The most comprehensive online Java Indonesia travel itinerary – By dontworryjusttravel.com.
Sumatra train travel articles
Sumatra Railways: A guide to every train line in Sumatra.
Palembang to Bandar Lampung by train – Riding the coal-subsidised railway of South Sumatra.
Palembang to Lubuk Linggau by train in South Sumatra
Kualanamu Airport Rail Link: The Medan airport train.
How to get from Medan to Lake Toba by train and bus
Medan to Rantau Prapat by train (North Sumatra)
Sulawesi train travel articles
Makassar–Parepare railway: the first section of the Trans-Sulawesi railway.
Laos
Buy Laos train tickets Baolau.
Laos train travel articles
Laos Railways: a guide to train travel in Laos
Laos-China Railway travel guide – A guide to the Laos-China Railway from Vientiane to Boten, including tickets, train types, station guides, onboard amenities, and transport to stations.
How to buy tickets for the Laos-China Railway
Vientiane Khamsavath Railway Station Guide
Udon Thani to Vientiane by train
Malaysia
Railway Operator (Peninsula): KTM.
Railway Operator (Sabah): Sabah Railway.
Buy Malaysia train tickets 12Go Asia
Malaysia train travel articles
Malaysia railways – a guide to train travel in Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by train
Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (Penang) with the ETS
Jungle Railway – The best train times and most scenic sections.
Gemas to JB Sentral: The last diesel Intercity service on Malaysia’s West Coast
Johor Bahru to Singapore by train: KTM Shuttle Tebrau
Kuala Lumpur Railway Station: A guide to the most beautiful station in Southeast Asia
Padang Besar Station: crossing the Malaysia-Thailand border by train
Myanmar
Railway operator: Ministry of Rail Transportation
Philippines
Railway Operator: Philippine National Railways
Singapore
Singapore train travel articles
Singapore Rail Corridor: The former railway line that’s now a walking path
How to get from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by train
Thailand
Railway Operator: State Railway of Thailand
Buy Thailand train tickets 12go
Thailand train travel articles
Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal; A guide to the main train station of Bangkok.
Train No. 275: Bangkok to Ban Klong Luk Border (train to the Thailand-Cambodia border)
Train 7 Bangkok to Chiang Mai: The day train through historic Thailand.
Train 261: Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) to Hua Hin by Ordinary Train
Getting the train in the troubled deep south of Thailand – A review of the train from Hat Yai to Sungai Kolok, through the provinces of Thailand which have travel advisories to not travel to.
Bangkok to Trang by train, and onward connections to the Trang Islands
Bang Sue Grand Station construction update – The future central station of Bangkok
Bangkok to Chiang Mai by train – Best train times to see some of the highlights of Thailand.
How to get from Bangkok to Vientiane by train
Kanchanaburi to Hua Hin by train (with a bonus stop at the tallest stupa in the world)
The train that will transform Nakhon Ratchasima – A report on my visit Nakhon Ratchasima, where a high-speed train will connect to Bangkok, and eventually to the Laos border.
Vietnam
Railway Operator: Vietnam Railways
Buy Vietnam train tickets Baolau.
Vietnam train travel articles
Vietnam Railways – A guide to every line, tickets, and FAQs.
Train SE22 from Saigon to Danang
Da Nang to Hue by train via the Hai Van Pass
Da Lat – Trai Mat Railway – A restored heritage railway in Vietnam
Hanoi Train Street Guide: Where to visit the open sections.
Saigon to Phan Thiet by train – the easy way to get to Mui Ne
Special Train to the Gia Lam Train Factory (Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023)
Southeast Asia train travel resources
Any questions related to travel by train in Southeast Asia please visit the Southeast Asia Railways Facebook group.
Get a monthly summary of Southeast Asia rail travel news at southeastasiarailways.com.
Southeast Asia train travel FAQs
Is there a Southeast Asia Train Pass?
Southeast Asia is a long way from being developed enough to offer a railway pass that would be similar to the Eurail Pass in Europe. The railway network of Southeast Asia is not extensive enough to warrant such a ticket, and there are very few international connections.
Can I travel from India to Myanmar by train?
Even though the two countries are neighbours there is no rail link yet. There are plans to build a line from Impal in India to Tamu in Myanmar. This would provide an eventual connection from Delhi to Yangon.
Are there any international train services in Southeast Asia?
There are currently three international services:
Bangkok (thailand) – Padang Besar (Malaysia)
Nong Khai (Thailand) – Thanaleng (Laos)
Johor Bahru (Malaysia – Woodlands (Singapore)
Read more here: International train services in Southeast Asia.
Future Southeast Asia railways
One of my projects at Nomadic Notes has been to map the proposed railways of Southeast Asia. To illustrate what is planned for the region I’ve created a map of current and proposed railways in Southeast Asia.
[Click here for larger downloadable image.]
The black lines on the map represent railways that are currently operating, while the red lines are proposed lines.
This map is based on my previous project which depicted Southeast Asia railways as a subway-style map.
[Click here for larger image.]
This map has details of all the proposed railways which are listed here:
Future Southeast Asia – A map of proposed railways in Southeast Asia.
I also write about future railways of Southeast Asia at futuresoutheastasia.com.
[nomadicnotes.com is an affiliate with Tiket, Baolau, and 12Go Asia.]
This is very interesting to read. Your south-east Asia train itinerary shows what country really improves, but the most interesting part is how people live this way. Thailand travel to Chian Mai seems so relaxing.
Incredibly useful resource … I’ll have to take the train in Vietnam soon, as I missed it last time!
Great resource, James. Thanks for sharing it with us.
If you are ever in Pattaya we (Pattaya City Expats Club) would love to have you as a speaker – we meet Sunday mornings at the Tavern by the Sea, part of the Amari complex. Let us know if you plan heading this way. Or just come along for the meeting, anytime you are in the area.
I also love rail – did Mandalay to Yangon first week of this year, before the new rolling stock – 15 hours.
I designed a line for Taipei – lived there 20 odd years. You can see it at
– unfortunately HiSos didn’t like it, gave them too much access to Taipei (or was it the other? 😉 so it got muzzled.
Also, would like to get the Northern Rivers line working again – it can be done.
All the best,
Stuart.
Hi Stuart,
thanks for the feedback and invitation – I’m honoured to be offered to speak. I am in Thailand a couple of times a year so I will let you know if my schedule allows a visit.
I visited Taipei a two years ago and I was impressed with their metro, which was about to expand by 30% when I was there.
Chat later.
Traveling by train in Vietnam is considered as the best way to catch the country’s landscape and seascape, much more convenient than open bus if you’re planning to travel throughout Vietnam. Western tourists tend to lie on a soft sleeper so you should book online a ticket as soon as possible
Traveling by train through Southeast Asia is safe, incredibly cheap, efficient, relatively environmentally-friendly, and a much better way to get a sense of what a country is like than you would ever get by flying.
Saved as a favorite, I like your blog!
Thank you for this article!
I have been in Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore) and it was an amazing experience!
I don’t know if you are still monitoring this site; but I have looked at the Thai railways site. I find it next to useless, both as far as finding any information, as well as just finding so little of any use.
I am trying to find at which station I could connect with this train on the way to Penang (Butterworth) coming from Kawthaung in Myanmar – (Ranong in Thailand); and WHEN this train runs through.
Do you know from which station, I could join this train, and when it runs? Or from WHERE I can get this information?
Thanks
Greg
Hi Greg,
yes the Thai railways site is a usability nightmare and of not much help.
There is no train at Ranong so to get to Butterworth you will need to cross the peninsula by bus to Surat Thani train station. There used to be a daily train from Bangkok to Butterworth but that no longer runs. You now go from Surat Thani to Padang Besar on the border, and change trains there for Butterworth.
If you have any other question you can ask at this new group about Southeast Asia Railways:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1700545326676832/
Thanks for your VERY quick reply. Most appreciated, as I am considering my travel plans right now. I was thinking of travelling from Mawlamyine/Maulmyine right down to Ranong, but had no idea, and there seems to be no ‘rail map’ on Thai rail, as to where to go to pick up the train. So, thank you for advising me about that.
To just get to Ranong looks like it will take a lot of time (by road); and time is limited. So I will look at doing this ‘road (+train) trip possibly in 1 year’s time.
I have noted the FB reference for future use.
Thanks again
Best wishes
Greg
Very helpful. Recently did Chiang Mai to Singapore, spread out over a month with about 10 stops along the way. Great way to see the countryside.
I love this and I love travelling by train in Thailand. I’ve taken sleeper trains in Thailand many times and its the best way to travel across Thailand. Hate the bus.