Northern Line (Thailand)

Northern Line
Northern Line
	Chiang Mai Main Line in Mae Tha District, Lamphun Province
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Government of Thailand
Locale	Northern and Central Thailand
Termini	Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) (ordinary and commuter services) ; Bangkok (Krung Thep Aphiwat) (long distance services); Chiang Mai ; Sawankhalok;
Connecting lines	Chiang Mai Main Line; Sawankhalok Line;
Service
Type	Inter-city rail; Regional rail; Commuter rail; Freight rail;
Operator(s)	State Railway of Thailand
Depot(s)	Bang Sue; Pak Nam Pho; Uttaradit; Lampang;
History
Opened	26 March 1896
Completed	1 January 1922
Technical
Line length	1,238.56 km (769.61 mi)
Number of tracks	2–1
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Route map
Route map
	Eastern Line
	to Chachoengsao Junction
	Phahonyothin
	freight yard
	Bang Sue
	Junction
	Krung Thep Aphiwat
	Central Terminal
	elevated stations served
	only by Dark Red Line
	Northeastern Line
	to Kaeng Khoi Junction

The Northern Line (Thai: ทางรถไฟสายเหนือ) is a railway line in Thailand, running between the capital Bangkok (at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal) and the northern city of Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai railway station). It is the second longest railway line in Thailand at 751 kilometres (467 mi) long, has 130 operational stations and halts, and is operated by the State Railway of Thailand. The line first opened in 1896. Major cities served by the line include Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Sawan, Phitsanulok, Lampang, and Chiang Mai.

The line's operations were severely affected during World War II.

Since January 2023, long-distance (Special Express, Express and Rapid) trains terminated at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok replacing Hua Lamphong station.

A new 323 kilometer-long branch line, from Den Chai to the Lao border at Chiang Khong, is under construction and is expected to open in 2028.^[1]^[2]

History

Timeline

No.^[3]	Segment	Year opened^[4]
1	Bangkok–Ayutthaya	26 March 1896
2	Ayutthaya–Ban Phachi	1 November 1897
3	Ban Phachi–Lopburi	1 April 1901
4	Lopburi–Pak Nam Pho	1 November 1905
5	Pak Nam Pho–Phitsanulok	24 January 1908
6	Phitsanulok–Ban Dara Junction	11 November 1908
7	Ban Dara Junction–Pang Ton Phueng	15 August 1909
8	Pang Ton Phueng–Mae Phuak	1 June 1911
9	Mae Phuak–Pak Pan	15 November 1911
10	Pak Pan–Huai Mae Ta	1 May 1912
11	Huai Mae Ta–Ban Pin	15 June 1913
12	Ban Pin–Pha Kho	1 May 1914
13	Pha Kho–Mae Chang	15 December 1915
14	Mae Chang–Nakhon Lampang	1 April 1916
15	Nakhon Lampang–Pang Hua Phong	20 December 1916
16	Pang Hua Phong–Pang Yang	1 July 1918
17	Pang Yang–Chiang Mai	1 January 1922

Name changes

Name	Old name^[5]	Year changed
Ayutthaya	Krung Kao	1917
Nakhon Sawan	Nong Pling	1956
Phrom Phiram	Ban Krab Phuang	—
Tron	Wang Hin	—
Saraphi	Pa Yang Loeng	1961

Infrastructure

Chiang Mai railway station is the northern terminus of the line

The Northern Line is entirely single track, except at stations. Track gauge is 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) meter gauge. As the train frequency increases, it is becoming increasingly challenging to operate trains running both direction on the single-line track. Double-tracking has commenced between Lop Buri and Pak Nam Pho, and is planned for the rest of the line.

The Northern Line is not electrified. Regular services run on diesel power. The current maximum operating speed on the line is 100 km/h (62 mph).

Stations

Tunnels

Tunnel	Length	Location	Note
Khun Tan Tunnel	1,352.15 m (4,436.2 ft)	Lampang and Lamphun Province	The longest tunnel in Thailand.
Khao Phlueng Tunnel	362.44 m (1,189.1 ft)	Uttaradit and Phrae Province
Huai Mae Lan Tunnel	130.20 m (427.2 ft)	Phrae Province
Pang Tub Khob Tunnel	120.09 m (394.0 ft)	Uttaradit Province	The shortest railway tunnel in Thailand.