Going to Singapore from Bangkok is not easy since the two locations are far away from each other, and there is the west side of Malaysia that stands between them. Despite their distances, there are actually multiple ways for tourists to get to Bangkok from Singapore, and vice versa. One of those ways is by riding a train, although you have a few choices on which train to ride to get to your destination. To know more about the trains in Bangkok or Singapore, here is a guide on the best trains that you can take to get to Singapore from Bangkok.
Eastern and Oriental Express
The Eastern and Oriental Express is a luxury train owned by Belmond Limited that can take passengers to several tourist attractions around Bangkok, Malaysia, and Thailand. The tracks of the luxury train run between the Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore and the Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok, Thailand, although the train would stop at two locations in Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth, and also one location in Thailand called Kanchanaburi.
Because of the multiple stopovers, it would take three days for the train to reach Thailand if it first went to Singapore. However, during the stopovers, several crew members of Eastern and Oriental Express will act as tour guides to let tourists know more about the places they are visiting.
Two things to note about the Eastern and Oriental Express are that the ticket to ride it is expensive, and it only operates a few times a month. For the ticket price, as of 2020, it would take $3,100 per person if you are traveling with a partner and $5,440 if you are traveling solo, so that is pretty expensive, especially for those who want to travel with a tight budget. However, a tourist who experienced taking the luxury train would probably tell you that getting a ticket for it is worth it since you will be treated with comfortable seats, delicious foods, and other amazing amenities. If you want the Eastern and Oriental Express experience, you would have to save plenty of money before coming to Singapore or Thailand.
For the operation date, you would have to consult their website first or search on the internet for the train schedules, as it would often vary depending on the month or the season. As for the travel time, the Eastern and Oriental Express follows a strict schedule. From Singapore, it would depart the Woodland Train Checkpoint on Thursday, 11:20 AM, and by 7:45 PM, it would reach Kuala Lumpur. The train would depart Kuala Lumpur at 8:30 PM, and it would arrive at Butterworth on Friday, 8:30 AM, and a guided tour of George Town would take place until 11 AM, which is the time that the train departs and heads to Kanchanaburi. Then, the Bangkok to Singapore train would stop at Kanchanaburi on Saturday, 8:45 AM, and a guided tour of River Kwai will commence. The train would then depart at 11:25 AM, and the tourists will finally reach Bangkok at 2:45 PM.
Take Five Trains to Reach Singapore
If you really don’t have the budget to buy a ticket to ride the Eastern and Oriental Express, you can still get to Singapore from Bangkok via railway system by taking five trains, but you just have to catch them at different times of the day.
The first train would be at Bangkok Station, where you have to head to Padang Besar, a town in Malaysia. The train would leave at 3:10 PM and will arrive at Padang Besar at 8:53 AM. Take note that the train is a special service, and its number is “45.”
For the second train, you would have to take one of the five trains from Padang Besar that would take you to Kuala Lumpur. Since you will arrive at the station at 8:53 AM, the earliest time you can leave Padang Besar is 11:15, which is the time of departure of the second train heading to Kuala Lumpur. You will then arrive at Malaysia’s capital at 4:55 PM.
From Kuala Lumpur, you would need to take the train heading to Gemas, another town in Malaysia, which departs at 11 minutes after midnight (12:11 AM). The arrival time from Kuala Lumpur to Gemas is 2:40 AM.
The fourth train in Gemas would then depart at 5:45 AM and will head towards Johor Bahru, Malaysia. You will arrive at Johor Bahru at 10:29 AM, which will give you an opportunity to catch the fifth bus heading to Singapore at 11:30 AM or 12:45 PM.
So those are just the two best ways for you to travel from Bangkok to Singapore via train, with one more suitable for tourists that have large budgets and the other that is perfect for those who have tight budgets. Through these traveling methods, going to Singapore from Bangkok will surely be easier.