Photo book shines light of Bangkok's iconic Hua Lamphong Railway Station
This month, a captivating new photo book titled "BANGKOK STATION" is set to be released. The book offers a mesmerizing glimpse into the bustling scenes on the platforms and within the trains of the iconic and beloved Hua Lamphong Station, a legendary structure in Bangkok.
The book is the work of British photographer Tim Russell who has lived in Bangkok since 2012, and who has spent much of his spare time photographing the streets of Thailand's capital and the people who live there.
During this time he has paid numerous visits to Hua Lamphong, where he has spent hours taking thousands of images of the station, the people who work there, and the passengers who use it, and BANGKOK STATION is the result.
Published by Soi Books, BANGKOK STATION contains around 70 colour and black & white images from the station taken between 2016 and 2023, showing the station at its lively, colourful best. The book will serve as the perfect time capsule for anyone who loves Hua Lamphong, and will also no doubt be hugely popular with railway enthusiasts in Thailand and beyond.
"Without a doubt, Hua Lamphong is my favourite photography location in the city," says Russell. "It has absolutely everything - amazing light, colourful characters, leading lines, rickety old trains, and plenty of space to relax and take your time. It's basically a playground for photographers."
Russell sees the station's demise as emblematic of the city's increasing gentrification. "Whilst Bangkok is becoming a more modern and comfortable place to live, and the new station will no doubt be a lot more efficient, it's also very sad that the city is losing a lot of its character and the chaos that made it so special," he says.
"That's why I wanted to do this book - to capture a place that was a little microcosm of the city as a whole, in all its messy glory. It's essentially a love letter to the people of Bangkok, who make photographing here such a joy."
"Celebrating Hua Lamphong Railway Station's rich history and enduring cultural importance, we chose to publish BANGKOK STATION with Tim Russell" says Shaz Das-Hassan, MD of Soi Books. "His work captures the essence of one of Asia's most iconic railway stations, evoking the very heartbeat of a place that holds significance for us (as once we lived there) and for so many others who also have passed through its grand halls."
BANGKOK STATION is now available on pre-sale via Soi Books and will be published in October.
There will also be a launch event and exhibition on 23 November at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, where Russell will be in conversation with legendary Bangkok journalist Joe Cummings.
