A little background on Kabinburi and the Eastern line.
The railway to Kabinburi opened in 1925. On the 8th august 1926 the line was extended to Aranyaprathet on the Cambodian border. In the1940s the eastern line was further extended across the border and formed the main line between Cambodia and Thailand. The line opened and closed a number of times between Aranyaprathet and Poipet in Cambodia. The closures were mostly related to internal conflict in Cambodia making it very dangerous to operate trains across the border. Since 1994 the cross border section of the eastern line has remained closed despite the border areas being quite safe these days. There are plans to reopen the Cambodian section of the line in 2011 thus allowing cross boarder train services. But it will probably take many more years to reopen.
Kabinburi is located 161.26 km from Hualamphong station in Bangkok. Kabinburi is a rural town that provides support for the farming areas around it. In the past Kabinburi used to provide a larger role in freight operations but today this has long since stopped. Kabinburi station is situated on a curve next to an urban lake in the centre of Kabinburi town. The station is made up of a single platform with a run around loop and a 2 track yard. There used to be a larger yard in the past with a functioning turntable. Today the turntable is inside a local park east of the station and is not connected by rail.
Eight trains a day operate out of Kabinburi station. It is considered the 3rd busiest station on the eastern line outside of Bangkok. The fares for trains on the Eastern line are the lowest per km in the whole of Thailand with an end to end trip coming to a total of 48 baht per person.
Kabinburi Train Timetable:
Depart Kabinburi: 6.30am, 8.23am, 12.25pm, 3.39pm.
Arrive Bangkok: 10.15am, 12.05pm, 4pm, 7.55pm.
Depart Bangkok: 5.55am, 8.00am, 1.05pm, 3.25pm.
Arrive Kabinburi: 9.48am, 11.35am, 4.12pm, 6.20pm
All trains are 3rd class non aircon and stop at almost all stations. In addition to the trains there are 1st class aircon buses operating between 4am and 8.30pm every 40 minutes.
The second station that I visited on the eastern line was Prachantakam. This station is located 137.65km from Hualamphong in Bangkok. Prachantakam station consists of a single platform with a crossing loop. The station is orientated east – west. This station is rather minor and doesn't get a huge amount of use. The crossing loop at Prachantakam station is locked out of use. The local area is very rural and thus is very quiet most of the time. Prachantakam station and loop does not have any signal system installed but instead relies on radios and a system of metal tokens to control the movement of trains on the line.
Now onto the photographs of Kabinburi and Prachantakam. Due to the almost east – west alignment of both stations some pictures may have unusual shadows because of the angle of the sun early and late in the day.
Kabinburi Station 161.26km from Bangkok (between 7.50am – 12.40pm).
1. This is a shot of a water tank wagon and a covered cargo van in the sidings at Kabinburi station. Taken looking south west from the platform. It appears these wagons are no longer used. Cargo trains no longer operate through Kabinburi.
2. This is a general view of Kabinburi station looking west from within the sidings. Note the water tower in the background. Also like a lot of SRT stations there are well kept platform gardens. A number of people are waiting for the next Bangkok train.
3. This is an image of the 8.23am train to Bangkok. Taken looking west from within the yard as it was arriving at Kabinburi station. Train type Hitachi (THN) DMU.
4. This is another angle on the 8.23am train to Bangkok. Taken looking along the platform at Kabinburi station as it loads a number of passengers. Train type Hitachi (THN) DMU.
5. This is a shot of the Hitachi (THN) DMU on the 8.23am train to Bangkok. Taken looking west as it was departing from Kabinburi station. Note the amount of long grass covering the tracks.
