Hua Hin has been confirmed as a destination for Thailand’s new high speed train project, the government has announced.
Confirmation of whether or not a Hua Hin would be included in the project has been somewhat of a stop start process.
Recent years have seen several new high speed rail development projects proposed throughout Thailand, some of which have included Hua Hin as a potential destination.
However, up until recently, any concrete plans had remained firmly on the drawing board.
That was until last month when the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) reaffirmed the government’s policy regarding the development of rail transport, saying it will implement a high speed train project across the country, covering the North, Northeast, East and South.
The northern high speed train project will stretch from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, while the northeastern line will run from Bangkok to Nong Khai.
The eastern line, which includes connecting Suvarnabhumi, Don Meuang and U-Tapao airports, will then connect Bangkok with Rayong, while the southern line will run from Bangkok to Padang Besar.
The construction of the southern line, which will include Hua Hin, will be divided into two phases.
Phase 1, which is expected to be completed by 2032, will run from Bangkok to Hua Hin covering a distance of 211 kilometres and will connect five stations: Bang Sue, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi and Hua Hin.
Phase 2 of the project will run from Hua Hin to Padang Besar, a distance of 759 kilometers. The route will connect eight stations: Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Hat Yai and Padang Besar. This phase is expected to be completed by 2037.
While the price of fares for the southern line is yet to be determined, fares on the northeastern line will range from 105 baht to 535 baht, with each train departing every 90 minutes between 6am and 12pm daily.
Other information not available at the time of publishing was regarding the location of the high speed train station in Hua Hin.
“This high-speed train network will not only connect parts of Thailand but also serve as a rail link in Asean,” said a spokesperson forthe SRT.
“When all four high-speed train projects are fully built and connected, they will serve as a link of a huge network of rail transport of both passengers and cargo between China and Malaysia via Laos and Thailand.”
The high speed train line is not to be confused with the dual track train line that is also being constructed in Thailand, including throughout Hua Hin and which the government has said will open by the end of the year.
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