This unique Thai market outside train station is open only for five minutes
Published date: Tue, 02 Jul 2024 17:48:03 +0700
Hundreds of vendors swarmed the train with their baskets for five minutes as passengers briefly walk out to buy.
Footage shows the sellers bringing fruits, vegetables, spices, and other delicacies onto the platform as the locomotive stopped at the Buriram Railway Station in Thailand on June 29.
The chaotic scene happens every day at 8 am when the train arrives and stays for five minutes before leaving.
As the train stops, its passengers climb down into the platform for a quick shopping before boarding again.
Customer Khemthong Kraiya, 49, said, ‘I come to this market to buy fresh vegetables, including Thai basil, mushrooms, and chilis, for cooking at my restaurant.
‘I visit this market every morning because it sells chemical-free vegetables grown locally. They are also very cheap, so I could buy them in large quantities.'
Vendor Suwanna Sapram, 47, said she grows the vegetables she takes to the quick market.
She said: ‘I don't use pesticides, only manure as fertiliser. I harvest them daily so my customers receive fresh and clean food.'
As vegetable prices in regular markets increase, many flock to the railway station to buy, making it overcrowded, especially on weekends.
Vendor Suwanna added: ‘I earn 500 baht (10.75 GBP) to 1000 baht (21.49 GBP) per day depending on how much I brought to sell.'
Buriram Tourism Industry Council chairman Chatchaipat Sararam said the area has more than 20 years of history of hawker-style markets.
He said: ‘I recommend buying meatballs there, they are the best. More than 20 years ago, vendors from different provinces would go there to trade.
‘When they stopped at the station, they would rest and wait for their friends so passersby would purchase their goods.
‘As times passed by, more people visited here mainly for buying from vendors at the train station.'
