International Express - Brief History

Brief History

The original name for this express was Southern Express. It was introduced on January 2, 1922 with sleeping cars, double-headed by two E-class locos, and ran weekly on every Monday (increased to twice a week - Wednesday and Saturday by 1930) from Bangkok Noy terminus (now Thonburi station).

The Termminus has changed from Bangkok Noy to Bangkok after the opening of Rama VI bridge on January 1, 1927.

Hanomag Pacific locos replaced E-class locos in 1929, and diesel locomotives had replaced Hanomag locomotives on December 2, 1931.

It was reduced a Wednesday-only service from 1940 to 1945.

The service was temporarily suspended from March 15, 1950 to January 2, 1954 due to war damage on the Southern line by bombs from Allied Forces during WWII as well as the insurgencies in Southern Thailand and Northern Malayu. The destruction of the Rama VI Bridge had compelled Thai State Railways (replaced Royal State Railways from August 16, 1939 to 1945) to use Thonburi (Bangkok Noy) as the terminal for the International Express and the Hat Yai express from January 2, 1944.

Hatyai Express (Bangkok - Hat Yai) was the substituted during the reduction of International service as well as during the suspension of International services even though it was introduced on April 3, 1939 (every Friday) to meet increasing demands from those who live in Songkla and deep Southern provinces. Hat Yai Express was extended to Sugei Golok in January 1942. It was back to Hat Yai after 1945.

The International service was resumed on the old schedule on January 2, 1954 after concluding the cross border treaty between SRT and FMSR.

Once there were enough diesel locomotives, the International Express ran daily. During 1966 - 1978 the service ran three times a week between Bangkok and Prai via Padang Besar (extended to Butterworth in 1967), and four times a week between Bangkok and Tumpat via Sugei Golok. After 1978, International Express ran between Bangkok and Butterworth via Padang Besar only. The substitute the service to Tumpat is the Bangkok - Sugei Golok express (see Thaksin Express).

Currently, the southbound train departs Bangkok at 14:45 daily and arrives in Butterworth at 11:55 the next day. The northbound train departs Butterworth at 13:10 daily and arrives in Bangkok at 10.50 the next day, changed from 09.30 due to the poor track condition of the section from Thung Song to Hat Yai.

The train passes cities and towns along the east coast of southern Thailand on the upper Malay peninsula. These include the old Buddhist city of Nakhon Pathom, the seaside resort town of Hua Hin, the port city of Surat Thani and the commercial city of Hat Yai (or Haadyai). The train crosses the Thai-Malaysian border at Padang Besar before reaching the destination at the port city of Butterworth, which is opposite Penang Island, a resort island on the northern west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.