From Surat Thani to Chumphon there are twelve trains, taking between 2 hours 3 minutes and 3 hours 34 minutes to cover 167 km. Ten are fast Special Express, Express or Rapid trains and one is a slow Local train, number 446.
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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.
Surat Thani to Chumphon train tickets
About the route
Most of the trains run in the evening, from 18:25 to 23:28, which makes this a good way to reach Chumphon for an early boat to Koh Tao. There are two daytime departures, a Special Express at 09:00 and the Local train at 13:31, which stops at almost every station and takes the longest.
If you arrive in Chumphon at night, plan your onward trip before you go: the town is quiet after dark, and the ferry piers are some way from the station, so most people take a pre-booked transfer. If you would rather not arrive in the dark, the 09:00 Special Express is the only train that gets you there in the afternoon.
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