Hua Lamphong Railway Station and Post Office - A Photo Essay
by Alan Cameron

An article in the May issue of CAT's "Philatelic Magazine" mentioned that the Hua Lamphong Post Office (postcode 10331) had moved from its long time iocation at a front corner of the Hua Lamphong Railway Station to the ground floor of the Bangkok Mail Centre building, about 5 minutes walk. I went there one Saturday morning to see the new location.

Photo-1 shows the front of the railway station building and the post office had been located on the ground floor of the 3-story blockhouse-like structure in the left-side corner.

Photos-2a and 2b show the signs affixed to the door of the old location. The wording seems slightly resentful and suggests that the moving was not the post office's idea.

Photo-3 shows the front door of the new location.

Photo-4 was taken at an entrance to the truck loading area under the building and shows that the temporary Rong Muang Post Office (postcode 10330) has moved into this building also. This is the second move of this temporary post office since September 6, 1991 when the post office was closed for construction of a new post office building at the old location.

But the most surprising thing noticed on this visit was the changes that have occurred inside the railway station itself. Until recently the main hall in this building has been rather dreary, uncheerful and unfriendly. But sometime in the last year the railway officials have totally redesigned it. Most of the train scheduling and other sign boards are now electronic and the ticket booths are much better laid out and are more automated. Only one or two rather unsavory restaurants and poorly stocked news counters were in operation before but the list now includes a Lemon Green Convenience Store, Anna's Bakery, KFC fried chicken, Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donuts, Coffeebucks, and a Cherry Northeast Food. There is also a large food court, a Tourist Information booth, and even an Internet outlet.

Photo-5 shows one side of the interior of the hall. The large and comfortable seating area on the upper deck is totally new, and there is a similar one on the other side of the hall.

Photo-6 shows the new portrait of King Rama-V over the entrance to the train platforms. On each side of that entrance are the new ticket booths.

The current Hua Lamphong post office can trace its ancestry to being the "Bangkok 5 Post Office" which opened sometime before 1891. It was first established in the railway station to provide mail services for that area. On May 1, 1899, Bangkok Telegraph Office No. 5 was moved from the Railways Department to combine with this post office and the combined operation became known as Bangkok Post and Telegraph Office No. 5. In 1905 it began sealing mailbags for transport to post and telegraph offices along the railway lines.

In 1924, when Post Office No. 10 was opened, the duty of sealing mailbags at Post Office No. 5 was completely transferred to Post Office No. 10 and mail delivery responsibilities were similarly transferred. Consequently, the status of Post Office No. 5 was changed to that of a Non-Delivery Post Office and that continues with the current Hua Lamphong Post Office.

Until 1926, the Bangkok Noi Railway Station in Thonburi was the terminus for trains serving the Southern Line. But in that year the Rama-6 Bridge was finished and trains could then cross the river and go to Hua Lamphong Station. But Hua Lamphong had to be expanded to accommodate the extra trains and this construction caused Post Office No. 5 to be closed temporarily, as of June 1, 1926. It was reopened on January 24, 1927. For the closure period, Post Office No. 11 was opened in the nearby Royal Hotel.