Khun Tan Railway Station

Khun Tan station is the highest railway station in Thailand at an elevation of 758 meters. It marks te beginning of the Khun Tan Tunnel the longest tunnel of Thailand. The Khun Tan Tunnel stretches for 1,352 meters on the Northern line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, between the Mae Tan Noi, Wiang Tan, and Khun Tan stations. At the front of the tunnel is a monument to the German engineer who made this colossal project possible. One hundred years ago, the Royal State Railway of Siam blasted a tunnel through Doi Khun Tan to connect Lampang with Chiang Mai. Historically the Khun Tan Range was a formidable natural barrier between the Lan Na Kingdom and the Central Plains of Siam. The tunnel was built in 1907 across the southern part of the range and contributed to alleviate the difficulties in communication between the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The tunnel took eleven years to complete. Construction was disrupted owing to the arrest of the German engineers in World War I.

Ayutthaya Historical Research