Bangkok Railway Station

Bangkok Railway Station สถานีรถไฟกรุงเทพ
Location	Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Bangkok, 10330
Coordinates	13°44′20″N 100°31′0″E / 13.73889°N 100.51667°ECoordinates: 13°44′20″N 100°31′0″E / 13.73889°N 100.51667°E
Owned by	State Railway of Thailand
Line(s)	Northern Line Northeastern Line Eastern Line Southern Line
Platforms	14
Connections	MRT, BMTA
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	HUA
History
Opened	June 25, 1916
Traffic
Passengers (22,000,000)	60,000+ per day
Services
Preceding station   State Railway of Thailand   Following station Terminus Northern Line Yommarat Halt toward Chiang Mai Terminus Northeastern Line Yommarat Halt toward Ubon Ratchathani Terminus Northeastern Line Yommarat Halt toward Thanaleng Terminus Southern Line Yommarat Halt toward Su-ngai Kolok Terminus Eastern Line Urupong Halt toward Aranyaprathet Terminus Eastern Line Urupong Halt toward Ban Phlu Ta Luang Preceding station   MRT (Bangkok)   Following station Terminus MRT Blue Line Transfer at: Hua Lamphong Sam Yan toward Bang Sue

Bangkok Railway Station (Thai: สถานีรถไฟกรุงเทพ), unofficially known as Hua Lamphong Station (หัวลำโพง), is the main railway station in Bangkok, Thailand. It is in the center of the city in the Pathum Wan District, and is operated by the State Railway of Thailand.

Naming

The station is officially referred to by the State Railway of Thailand as Krungthep Station in Thai ('Krungthep' is the transliteration of the common Thai language name of Bangkok) and Bangkok Station in English.^[1] Hua Lamphong is the informal name of the station, used by both foreign travellers and locals. The station is often named as Hua Lamphong in travel guide books and in the public press.

In other areas of Thailand the station is commonly referred to as Krungthep Station, and the name Hua Lamphong is not well-known.

In all documents published by the State Railway of Thailand (such as train tickets, timetables, and tour pamphlets) the station is uniformly transcribed as Krungthep (กรุงเทพฯ) in Thai.^[1]

History

The station was opened on June 25, 1916 after six years' construction. The site of the railway station was previously occupied by the national railway's maintenance centre, which moved to Makkasan in June 1910. At the nearby site of the previous railway station a pillar commemorates the inauguration of the Thai railway network in 1897.

The station was built in an Italian Neo-Renaissance-style, with decorated wooden roofs and stained glass windows. The architecture is attributed to Turin-born Mario Tamagno, who with countryman Annibale Rigotti (1870–1968) was also responsible for the design of several other early 20th century public buildings in Bangkok. The pair designed Bang Khun Prom Palace (1906), Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in the Royal Plaza (1907–15) and Suan Kularb Residential Hall and Throne Hall in Dusit Garden, among other buildings.

There are 14 platforms, 26 ticket booths, and two electric display boards. Hua Lamphong serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers each day. Since 2004 the station has been connected by an underground passage to the MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit) subway system's Hua Lamphong Station.

The station is also a terminus of the Eastern and Oriental Express luxury trains.^[2]

Gallery

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  The main façade of the station

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  Station sign, Hua Lamphong

• 

  Hua Lamphong, interior view (Aug 2013)

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  Platforms, Hua Lamphong

• 

  An entrance to the Hua Lamphong Station of the underground MRT

Notes

1. "Northeastern Line Timetable" (PDF). State Railway of Thailand. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
2. Perkins, Ed (2013-08-01). "10 iconic train excursions". USA Today. Retrieved 16 August 2013.

References

• รายงานกองบัญชาการครั้งที่ 20 กล่าวด้วยการเดินรถไฟหลวงทางขนาดใหญ่ในกรุงสยามประจำพระพุทธศักราช 2459 (ปิคฤศต์ศักราช 1916-17), กรมรถไฟหลวง, โรงพิมพ์กรมรถไฟ, 2460 (Stored in National Archives of Thailand)
• งานฉลอง 50ปี กรมรถไฟหลวง, กรมรถไฟหลวง, โรงพิมพ์กรมรถไฟ, 2490