After the amateur videos appeared on Youtube, foreign TV programs jumped on the wagon train. In all of them, the first scene resembles any other open market in a small Thai town: shoppers strolling through a narrow aisle bordered by open stalls selling clothes and fresh food.
Then, in unison, the display tables on either side pull back (they’re on wheels) as the vendors yank up their awnings and the shoppers melt away. The train charges through that center aisle, coming within inches of the vendors and retracted stall tables. It’s over in a moment: the tables roll forward, awnings flap back in place and shoppers drift back onto the train track.
Bangkok's Little-Known Train Station
To see the videos, do a search at Youtube using “Bangkok (Maeklong) train market” or "Thai train market" or "Thailand train market." Contrary to the titles of some of the Youtube videos, this market in the small coastal town of Maeklong isn’t in Bangkok or particularly near it. As the crow flies, it’s perhaps 50 kilometers to the south. It takes several hours via two little-known train lines to reach it.
Maeklong cannot be reached from Hualampong Station, the central Bangkok station most familiar to Thais and foreigners alike. Nor can it be reached from Bangkok Noi station, a small station on the Thonburi side of the river, from which a line goes out to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai.
But the Maeklong train market can be visited from Bangkok and makes for an interesting, pleasant day-trip. Best of all, with minimal stress, one can escape the polluted big city and soon be gliding through clean air, countryside and salt farms. The journey is a must for train buffs.
Train from Bangkok to Samut Sakhon
The day begins at Bangkok’s Wongwianwai (or Wong Wian Wai) train station. Although this terminal is obscure, Wongwianwai itself isn’t. It’s a large roundabout, or traffic circle, on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River. With moderate traffic, it’s less than 15 minutes from the Oriental, Royal Orchid Sheraton and other big riverside hotels.
The traffic circle has just gotten much closer to greater Bangkok with the opening of Wongwianwai Skytrain station in May 2009. It’s the next stop from Taksin station, the former terminal, and the first Skytrain station on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River. From Wongwianwai train station (not the Skytrain station itself), a small commuter train leaves about every hour for the one hour, 31-kilometer trip to the fishing port of Samut Sakhon. Known to local people as Mahachai, it is major fishing port and processing area for the many shrimp farms in the area. The train station here houses its own huge food and appliance market.
Richard Barrow, founder of the Paknam group of websites, describes his own day trip to Maeklong step by step. For those that want to linger in Samut Sakhon, he also has links to another visit there, in which he notes homestays near Samut Sakhon (probably not easy for those who don't speak Thai) and the area's attractions. The most interesting are surely the ocean-swimming monkeys.
Train from Samut Sakhon to Maeklong
In Samut Sakhon, take a ferry the few minutes across the Tha Chin River to catch the infrequent trains that make the one-hour journey to Maeklong (also spelled as Mae Klong). Those wishing to return by train to Bangkok in one day should aim to catch a morning train from Samut Sakhon to Maeklong. The last possible one departs here for Maeklong at 1.30 pm.
An earlier arrival, though, means more time to take photos of videos of trains driving through the market. Schedules change frequently in Thailand, so always check again upon arrival in a new station.
From Maeklong to Samut Sakhon to Bangkok
In between waiting for trains, Maeklong has some modest sights. To see a Kuan Yin shrine and an Ayuthaya-era temple, visit this train buff’s page and scroll down to the Google map.
To return to Bangkok in one day, one must catch the Maeklong-to-Samut Sakhon train that departs at 3:30 pm. There's no need to panic, though. While they aren't as much fun as trains, there are many daily buses from Maeklong to Samut Sakhon and even from Maeklong directly to Bangkok's Southern bus terminal, once again on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River. The trip should take about one hour.
An alternative is to continue down along the coast to the major beach resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin.
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