Northern Line (Thailand)

Northern Line
An inter-city train at Lopburi Railway Station
Overview
System	State Railway of Thailand
Status	In operational
Termini	Hua Lamphong Railway Station Chiang Mai Railway Station Sawankhalok Railway Station (Branch line)
Operation
Opened	26 March 1896
Owner	State Railway of Thailand
Operator(s)	State Railway of Thailand
Technical
Line length	751 km (467 mi)
Track gauge	Meter gauge
Electrification	No

The Northern Line is a railway line in Thailand. The line heads north terminating at the northern port of Chiang Mai. The line is 751 kilometres (467 mi) between Hua Lamphong Railway Station and Chiang Mai Railway Station. It is the second longest railway line in Thailand. The line first opened in 1896. Major cities served by the line include Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Sawan, Phitsanulok, Lampang, and Chiang Mai. The popular Nakhon Phing Express service operates on the line. The line was severely affected by World War II.

There are 132 railway stations and halts in operation on the Northern Line, some serve major cities and some serve local villages in distant locations where road access is limited. Some station buildings date back over a hundred years, such as Khlong Maphlap Station on the Sawankhalok Branch Line. Some station were rebuilt from wooden structures to modern thai styled buildings such as Nakhon Sawan Station. The other category of buildings is the small, ornate style of wood-built stations such as Mae Tha Station.

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Services on the Northern Line are mainly intercity trains, connecting major cities. More than a dozen trains run on the line in each direction each day. Major named service that use at least part of the line include the Nakhon Phing Express.