Maeklong Railway Market (Talad Rom Hub)

On this years road trip down to the south of Thailand, I stopped at the Maeklong Railway market in Samut Songkhram, south of Bangkok. There apart from the healthy and thriving market, was the spectacle of a train traversing it's way snail like through the stalls along the railway track. Yes it was heaving, yes it was very very cramped, not at least when you have the stalls pull back their goods from the very edge of the track to let the train through.

Maeklong Railway Market is a traditional Thai market selling fresh vegetables, food and fruit. What makes it special is that the market is located on a train line where, a few times a day, the train runs directly through the market.

When the train comes, vendors lower their umbrellas and move some of their produce further back off the train tracks. Some of the vegetables are laying on the ground and the train goes right over them. Amazingly, nothing is damaged or broken, and as soon as the train passes, vendors continue as normal.

Maeklong is the end of the track here from Bangkok and there are trains run just for people to experience this journey. Trains run about four or five times a day and whilst many may bemoan the crampness, and "heaving people" this is also part of why the market thrives so well. There you will see typical Thai wares and foods and typical Thai market stall holders. For me now living here these are everyday sights and ones i know I would miss sorely if I was back in the UK. What I now take for granted is a real beauty for people to see. I also took live video of the train coming through the market and this will be posted along side this video , which I have chosen to focus more on the market than the train.