Mass Holiday Exodus Begins as Thousands Travel Home for Songkran 2025
The Songkran 2025 holiday began with a nationwide travel surge on Saturday, as tens of thousands of people departed for their hometowns or tourist destinations across Thailand.
Rail Travel Hits Record Numbers
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor Veeris Ammarapala reported a packed scene at Krungthep Apiwat Station, estimating over 117,000 passengers on the first day, with more than 81,000 departing.
- On Friday, the day before the official holiday, 90,347 people traveled by train with no passengers left stranded.
- The southern route was the most popular with 31,036 travellers, followed by the northeastern line (25,042) and the northern line (17,603).
- The rest traveled via eastern routes and short-distance lines like Mahachai and Mae Klong.
SRT added extra carriages and boosted capacity to handle up to 120,000 passengers per day. Police were also deployed at stations to ensure safety.
Bus Terminals Packed
At Bangkok’s Mor Chit bus terminal, around 120,000 passengers were expected on Saturday, according to Chatchawal Porn-amorntham, acting executive manager of Transport Co.
- On Friday, 106,337 passengers departed, while 46,006 arrived.
- An additional 1,000 buses were deployed to handle the volume.
Highways See Heavy Congestion
Major roads experienced significant traffic as holidaygoers hit the road:
- Mittraphap Road leading to Nakhon Ratchasima was heavily congested, even with the temporary opening of the M6 motorway (Hin Kong–Korat) to ease flow.
- On Asia Road in Chai Nat’s Manorom district, traffic increased steadily but moved smoothly with only minor slowdowns.
- The worst congestion was reported in Nakhon Sawan’s Phayuha Khiri district, where vehicles from Phahon Yothin Road merged with traffic from Asia Road, creating a bottleneck.
Authorities Urge Caution
Officials are encouraging motorists to obey traffic laws, take regular breaks, and drive safely, especially as the travel trend continues throughout the Songkran festival.
