Hua Lamphong — A view of the front of Hua Lampong station and its very classic front.

A view of the Central hall of Hua Lamphong train station.

Reserved seats for monks — As can be seen, monks are entitled to reserved seats in train stations, making them a part of the “elite”.

Monk taking the train — A Buddhist monk moves to climb in a train at Hua Lamphong

Refreshing puppy — A lady refreshes a puppy while waiting for a train.

travelers — A man takes a nap on a bench row in Hua Lamphong station

Train worker — A train conductor makes a pause in a wagon.

Cleaning staff — Relaxing moment for the cleaning staff, as one lady braids the hair of another.

Train conductor — A train conductor gives a great smile in Hua Lamphong station

Where some backpackers might be familiar with the Hua Lamphong train station, in Bangkok, most people ignore this wonderful station. It is a rich location for street photography and, depending on the time of day, the colors can be absolutely stunning (see the gallery above).

It was recently decided to move that station away to Bang Sue and to transform the current Hua Lamphong station in museum, so I can only invite you to visit it now, as long as it is still in service.

A classic architecture

Hua Lamphong station’s construction started in 1910, at about the same time that many European train stations were erected. Although railways were still in their infancy, King Rama V launched railways in Thailand already since 1891. At the same time, another Asian power, Japan, also raced to adopt European technology to modernize its society. Of course, the architect building the train station was European too, and more precisely, Italian, Mario Tamagno (more on his creations here). Being Italian, obviously, he permeated his construction with neo-renaissance style (he also built a number of other landmarks of Bangkok, see the link above).

Photography in the station

Hua Lamphong is first and foremost a place of passage. While nowadays, planes are much cheaper and more convenient, the train remains the only affordable transportation for country-dwelling Thais. A place where country immigrants land when arriving to Bangkok, or where they transit on their way back to the province, it provides very interesting sights and photographic opportunities.

Using black and white also allows to focus on the essentials in a place where there are a lot of directing lines.

Focusing on the people in the station can also provide interesting photographic opportunities and cute scenes as this lady fanning her puppy.

A lady refreshes a puppy while waiting for a train.

The ultimate adventure: taking the train!

Finally, if you are ready to face hellish travel conditions, grab a ticket and go for a quick trip to Ayutthaya. While absolutely disastrous in terms of comfort, this provides a very authentic experience, especially if you travel in third class. Be advised however that there is no aircon, and fans sometimes don’t even work.

Preparing departure — Station staff preparing for departure

Train passing — A train passes by in the sunset, as motorists wait.

Scene from the train — A view from a train window

On the tracks — A man awaits the train on the side of the tracks near Bangkok.

Monk and ATM — Monks are supposed not to own anything… But today, obviously, they can even withdraw money from ATM’s!

Thailand is moving towards implementing a high-speed train (when, remains to be seen), so these scenes are liable to disappear one day. I would thus invite you to go and enjoy the extraordinary atmosphere in that station as long as it is still there.

How to get there?

Either you grab a taxi, or you take the MRT to the Hua Lamphong station, either way, there is no way to be confused. There are other minor stations around Bangkok which are just as interesting, but I will address one of those in a future post.

For now, please note that the station is also very close to Wat Traimit, a chinatown temple which features a 2-ton massive gold Buddha statue (more to come soon!).

The map for Hua Lamphong station:

Seeing things differently

Scrambles & Izakayas: Tokyo Nights in Shibuya & Shinjuku

Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok – Memory of times to be no more

A classic architecture

Photography in the station

The ultimate adventure: taking the train!

How to get there?

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