Vietnam by train is a great way to travel if you are making your way up or down the coast. While I wouldn’t traverse the whole length of the country in one go (especially when flights between Hanoi and Saigon are so competitive) it’s good for the stops in between. Trains in Vietnam follow a […]
How to get from Bangkok to Vientiane by train
I like to travel by train in Southeast Asia if it’s a reasonable alternative to flying. For the trip from Bangkok to Vientiane, getting the train is a comfortable and economic way to go. First off I will say that the train doesn’t actually go to Vientiane; it stops at a station about 16km away. […]
Subway Map of Southeast Asia Railways
A map of current and proposed railways in Southeast Asia styled as a subway map. What would Southeast Asia look like if it had a fully functioning railway network? I have thought about this many times, usually while on a bus ride from hell (Huay Xai to Luang Prabang springs to mind). I envision it […]
Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (Penang) by train
In 2015 the electrification of the train line between Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth was completed. On this modernised track the ETS (Electric Train Service) reaches a speed of 140 km/h. The ETS is one of the fastest trains in Southeast Asia. The remarkable thing about the ETS is that it runs on a metre gauge […]
Riding the Bamboo Railway in Battambang – Cambodia
The bamboo railway is a makeshift railway in Cambodia that uses the old single line that runs between Battambang and Phnom Penh. In what was initially a way for goods to be transported has now become a fully-fledged tourist attraction. At the time of my visit, I only saw foreign passengers on board and no […]
Maeklong market railway, Thailand – The train that goes through a market
One of the more interesting train journeys in Southeast Asia I’ve had is riding through the Maeklong market railway in Thailand. Even if you’ve never heard of the town, you’ve probably seen a youtube video of a train going through a tightly-packed market, where market stalls are set up on the rails. The train barely […]
