Chumphon to Surat Thani is the stretch of the southern railway that links the two ferry gateways for the Gulf islands, and twelve trains cover the 167 km in between 2 hours 13 minutes and 3 hours 20 minutes. One of them, number 445, is a slower Local train.
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How to buy tickets
The easiest way to buy train tickets in Thailand is online rather than going to the station. You do pay a very small commission but the ease and convenience makes it worthwhile in our opinion.
Baolau is the best site to use for buying train tickets, they have access to the live Thai Railways booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.
Payment can be made using international credit cards and PDF confirmation tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductors and station staff.
How far ahead you can book depends on the train and how much of the route you ride. For full details on booking windows, see the when to book Thailand train tickets guide.
Chumphon to Surat Thani train tickets
About the route
The route is useful if you are linking the two ferry ports, Chumphon for Koh Tao and Surat Thani for Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. Trains run through the day and night, with a good choice in the early morning, at 05:37 and 06:15, a Special Express at 14:05, and a run of late-evening trains at about 22:27 to 23:26.
The railway runs through rubber and palm plantations, and Surat Thani is the first big town after Chumphon. If you are catching a ferry, check its timetable before you choose a train, since the piers are not at either station and you will need a transfer.
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