An Outdoor Market in Thailand That Shuts Down Eight Times a Day to Let a Train Run Right Through It

Great Big Story visited the Maeklong Railway Market in Samut Songkhram, Thailand to learn more about its rather unusual arrangement. Because the market occupies space on both sides of a railroad track, each vendor must close shop in order to let the train pass eight times per day. While one might wonder why a market would exist in the path of a commuter train, as it turns out, the market was occupied the space long before the train ever existed.

In 1905, the Maeklong Railway built a commuter train line through the center of the popular market. But rather than move, the vendors adapted to the new conditions, working around the train that passes through eight times a day, seven days a week.