Orient Express - Train ride Singapore to Bangkok

I have an opportunity to ride on Orient Express luxury train from Singapore oh well, should I say Johor, to Bangkok.   The train ride was started from Singapore Woodlands train station, which is at the northern part of Singapore, which is just a stone away from Malaysian's southern state of Johor.

It is a 3 days 2 nights train ride departing Singapore on Wednesday and arrive Bangkok on Friday.

A week before the departure date I went to the Orient Express office to collect the boarding pass.  Here is how the boarding pass looks like.

At the departure date, we proceed to the Singapore iconic Raffles Hotel for check-in procedure.  There is a sign to indicate it.  After check-in, the guest can sit at the "lounge" with some drink.  Of course you can order the signature drink of Raffles Hotel, the Singapore Sling.   Also the train manager, Valentine introduced himself to many of the passenger.

We boarded a coach to Woodland train station at about 3pm.  The normal traveling time to the train station should take about 30 minutes.  However, this is actually a brief Singapore city tour, which we were driven along some interesting place in Singapore.  There was a local guide who give the narration.

At about 4pm, we arrive the Woodland train station and proceed to Singapore immigration.  It then follow by the Malaysian immigration.  Walaaa... you have been officially in Malaysia (as you have Malaysian immigration stamp in your passport), but you are actually still in Singapore soil.

The team of staffs were lining up to welcome us.  They are indeed one of the best team whom perform their duty very well.

The train was waiting in the background.  Here is the choo choo train that will take us to Bangkok and here is my carriage.  The carriage B.  For the first night, we will be the 2nd carriage from the front.

 

 

 

Here is the hallway inside the train and my room for the next 3 days and 2 nights which I will share it with my very good friend.  We are lucky enough to get upgrade to the State Cabin.  The State Cabin has 2 twin beds and make it bigger than the Pullman Cabin, which has a bunk bed.

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

At night, the small couch and the table near the window will disappear.  A bed will appear from the wall behind the couch.  The long couch will be flipped to turn into bed.  It is really amazing how they store everything in that small room.

 

Let's take a peek of our bath room.  I am very amazing that they can pack a fully functional bath room with showers inside the train.  If it is not moving, I do not really feel that I am in the train!!!

 

First, I thought it will be a very boring journey, as there is no wifi and TV on board the train.  However, I was very wrong.  Indeed I enjoy the trip.  The food is delicious.  The staffs are very friendly and most of them have been working on the train for 10+ years!!! and they really enjoy their work.  So you can feel that the service come from the heart.

 

 

Here are some pictures when the train make a stop at Butterworth.   Actually we got off at Bukit Mertajam and the train drove itself to Butterworth to pick us up, as it was delay due to the rail upgrade work.  Take a closer look of the engine carriage (the second one after the locomotive).  this is the brain of the train which supply the whole electricity of the carriage.  At Butterworth, they changed the locomotive into the State Thailand Railways from the KTM (Keretaapi Tanah Melayu -- Malay Railway) and move the locomotive to the back.  So on my 2nd night, carriage was the second last and we were closer to the observation cart.

 

 

 



 

 

Here are some pictures from Penang excursion

 

 

So after we passed the Malaysian border at Padang Besar and into the Thai soil, we were presented with Thai traditional dance.  The track at Southern Thai side was still rather old and made of wodden, so the ride was quite bumpy.

As we were late due to the railway track upgrade in Malaysia side, we have to skip the Kancanaburi excursion so that we arrived on schedule in Bangkok.  A bit disappointed about this.  They gave a free voucher that can be used for Kancaburi tour on the next day and valid up to 1 year.  However, since I will fly back to Singapore on Sunday, so I just give it a skip.

 

so this is a final look of the train at Hualampong station in Bangkok

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To sum it up, it is very interesting experience for me to board a luxury train like this.  I really enjoyed the trip and hope that I can board into it again or another similar train....