PASSENGERS on South-east Asia's trains rarely go hungry even in the absence of a dining carriage because they are served by a bevy of fleet-footed vendors.

These hawkers hop onto trains with their goodies minutes before they depart, and deftly jump off when the trains pull away.

One of them is Ms Phai, 57, who makes her rounds in Bangkok's Hualamphong Railway Station with a basket of sticky rice, deep-fried pork and roast chicken every day.

The divorcee, who supports a 22-year-old son disabled from polio, earns about 200 baht (S$8.40) a day.

But when she gets caught by the police, she will have to pay a 100 baht fine.