The Express 67, operated by the State Railway of Thailand, is a popular sleeper train running the Northeastern Line from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, one of the four major cities of Isan region and the gateway to Champasak province in Southern Laos. Besides the Special Express 23 Isan Vattana, the Express 67 is the other sleeper train available on this route, however fares are cheaper and tickets do sell out at times, so it’s highly recommended to secure your trip in advance.
Now you can easily book your train tickets in Thailand with Baolau.
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) train service
The State Railway of Thailand or SRT is the national railway operator of Thailand, with many lines running throughout the country converging in Bangkok.
For the Northeastern Line, a wide range of trains and travel classes are available, from simple hard benches to private rooms with external hot showers. For this journey, we will be taking the Express 67 train.
Departure from Bangkok
Bangkok’s grand Hua Lamphong Railway Station is the main hub of train services to all parts of Thailand. Getting to Hua Lamphong Railway Station is easy with the MRT Blue Line offering direct access to it. Alternatively, getting a taxi to the station is relatively easy as well since all drivers (and possibly every local) would know where Hua Lamphong Railway Station is.
Inside, lots of seating are available within the air-conditioned hall of the station for you to wait for your train if you’re early.
The platform number of the departing train will be flashed on the big screens in the waiting hall. Our train, the Express 67 to Ubon Ratchathani would be departing from Platform 9.
The Express 67 operates with a regular mix of coaches: Air-conditioned First Class Day & Night Coach, Air-conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach, Bogie Second Class Carriage and Bogie Third Class Carriage are the available travel classes on this train.
To travel by night, we recommend choosing either the Air-conditioned First Class Day & Night Coach or the Air-conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach, so you get a proper berth to sleep through the journey.
Passenger experience
Boarding the Express 67 bound for Ubon Ratchathani.
The interior of the Air-Conditioned Second Class Day & Night Coach features 40 open-plan berths, with 20 upper and 20 lower berths.
In the day or boarding configuration, the lower berth is converted to a seating position for passengers to sit comfortably.
Luggage racks are available beside the lower and upper berths for your personal storage.
During the boarding process, tickets are checked by the conductor.
Since State Railway of Thailand introduced the use of electronic tickets in 2017, passengers can either present the physical ticket purchased at the station or a printed copy of the electronic ticket purchased via internet. If you book your train tickets online with Baolau, you will receive the official electronic ticket issued by SRT by email. The electronic ticket is a valid boarding pass, although passengers are requested to print the e-ticket in advance and carry the printout while boarding. Please do not carry the e-ticket in your mobile phone or tablet as digital copies are not accepted.
Shortly after departure, attendants come around to convert the seats into beds for the night.
The converted lower berth for the night. Blankets are hygienically individually packed.
The day after, just before arrival, attendants once again come around to clear the sheets and convert the berths back into seats.
The converted seats, ready for arrival into Ubon Ratchathani.
The journey
The Express 67 overnight sleeper service from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani takes 10 hours and 20 minutes. On the way, the train stops in Buri Ram and Surin, so it is not unusual to hear passengers shuffling around the coach at about 4 to 5 AM in the morning as they ready themselves to get off the train.
As this is a night journey, most of the time there isn’t much scenery to see out of the window. Nevertheless, the purpose of the sleeper train is to sleep and save time getting from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani. You can enjoy the morning scenery of Northeastern Thailand on the way to Ubon Ratchathani after wake-up.
Arrival to Ubon Ratchathani
The Express 67 arrives at Ubon Ratchathani at 7:50 AM.
From Ubon Ratchathani Railway Station, you can easily go around the city by Taxi or Songthaew. If you are heading to Pakse in Laos, you can get on the waiting Songthaew No. 2 at the railway station car park and all the way to the end of the line at Ubon Ratchathani Bus Station, where you can board the VIP Bus Service 999 from Ubon Ratchathani to Pakse operated by Thai-Lao International Bus. The morning bus departs from Ubon Ratchathani Bus Station at 9:30 AM.
How to book your train tickets from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani
Train travel in Thailand is very popular among locals and tourists alike, and sleeper tickets on the Express 67 tend to sell out on the route, sometimes about a month before departure during peak seasons. It is wise to book your tickets early in advance immediately after arranging your travel plans.
Baolau lists the SRT services available, so you can compare and select the most convenient schedule and price.
Fill in the passenger form and select your preference, Lower berth or Upper berth. We will carefully select the best places for you and your travel company depending on the availability in Second Class for the travel date. Complete your payment before submitting the booking request. Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive an email with the electronic tickets attached.
The electronic tickets are valid boarding passes. However, passengers are requested to print the e-ticket in advance and carry the printout while boarding. Please do not carry the e-ticket in your mobile phone or tablet as digital copies are not accepted by the train conductor.
