Bangkok to Butterworth Penang Train Times, Booking & Journey 2023
The journey from Bangkok to Butterworth in Penang by train is a long journey that involves taking the train from Bangkok to Padang Besar in Malaysia and then a Malaysian KTM train to Butterworth.
I will cover the train times, costs, booking and journey information to enable you to have a smooth and enjoyable trip to the north of Malaysia.
Transport Itinerary:
- Train from Bangkok to Padang Besar
- Padang Besar KTM to Butterworth Train
- Butterworth to Penang
Train Times — Bangkok to Padang Besar
The first part of the journey is taking an overnight train from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal train station in Bangkok.
| Train No | Departs | Arrives | Duration | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP45 | 15.35 | 10.50 | 18h 15m | 2nd Berth (A/C) |
Bangkok to Padang Ticket Prices
| Seat/Berth (a/c) | Ticket Price |
|---|---|
| 2nd Class Upper | 868 THB |
| 2nd Class Lower | 958 THB |
Booking Bangkok to Padang Besar Tickets
— Book Online: Booking online enables you to receive an electronic ticket via email, which can be printed or shown on your mobile phone when required for ticket checking.
— Book at Station: You may book a ticket at any SRT (State Railway of Thailand) station, and it will cost less. However, it may cost you in travel costs, and it takes up useful travel and enjoyment time.
The train options from Bangkok to Padang Besar require you to book in advance for at least 2 hours prior to travel, and it’s best to book well in advance.
Note: We have used and continue to use trusted travel booking agents to book trains as the State Railways of Thailand booking websites have always become unreliable to use and unsafe to link to. More about booking trains in Thailand.
Arriving at Padang Besar and Passport Control
When you arrive at Padang Besar you will then have to stamp out of Thailand and into Malaysia before taking the train from Padang Besar to Butterworth. Padang Besar is a road and train border between Thailand and Malaysia.
This is a very easy border to cross, and it usually does not take too long to get stamped out of Thailand and into Malaysia.
You will need to buy a train ticket from the counter at Padang Besar — costs 11.40 MYR (Malaysian Ringgit).
Add an hour onto your watch or phone –Malaysia is one hour ahead of Thailand.
KTM Train Times to Butterworth (Penang) from Padang Besar
Morning until 14.35 trains.
| Station | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padang Besar | 05:20 | 05:40 | 06:00 | 06:20 | 07:35 | 08:35 | 10:35 | 12:35 | 14:35 |
| Butterworth | 07:11 | 07:31 | 07:51 | 08:11 | 09:26 | 10:26 | 12:26 | 14:26 | 16:26 |
Later trains 15.05 onwards.
| Station | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padang Besar | 15:05 | 15:35 | 16:35 | 17:05 | 17:35 | 18:35 | 19:05 | 19:35 | 21:35 |
| Butterworth | 16:56 | 17:26 | 18:31 | 18:56 | 19:26 | 20:26 | 20:56 | 21:26 | 23:26 |
Butterworth Railway Station to Penang Ferry Terminal
When you arrive in Butterworth, you’ll then have to walk for only a few minutes (follow the signs and people) to the Ferry Port to take the ferry to Georgetown in Penang. The ferries are not in service at the moment (since 2020), and passengers must now take the faster Catamaran service.
You will need to buy a ticket from the ticket booth that costs only 1.60 (adults) – 0.60 MYR (children).
Ferries are frequent and depart every 20 -30 minutes (peak hours) to every 60 minutes (off-peak). You can check the times on the PenangPort website.
You will arrive at what is known as Swettenham Pier in Georgetown, Penang (Island).
Train 45 Bangkok to Padang Besar Journey
The 18-hour train journey to Padang Besar always goes surprisingly fast. After a few hours of watching the scenery, reading a book, and having dinner, the guard comes around to open up the beds (anytime after about 7-8pm).
The train stops further along at various stations, and vendors jump on board selling rice meals and barbecued chicken with sticky rice. You can also eat at Padang Besar station.
Inside and Comfort: Ok, so it’s not quite the Orient Express, and the train is old and a bit rattly, but the seat is very large, and it’s comfortable enough to sleep. As mentioned above, the guard will transform the seats into beds which you will know is happening because of the clanging noise you’ll hear. As you can see from the image, each bed has a privacy curtain.
Toilets are just basic. One is western style, and the other side is squat (not so much fun on the squat while the train is rattling I imagine).
There’s a sink area outside the toilets for cleaning yourself up and brushing your teeth.
Enjoy The Scenery
Changing Thai baht into Malaysian Ringgit: Before you arrive at Padang Besar a money exchange guy might come around to see if you would like to exchange Thai baht for the Malay Ringgit. I always exchange 1000 THB for the ongoing KTM Malaysian train fare.
KTM Ticket Office & Restaurant/Shop
Find out when the next train to Butterworth is due and buy your ticket at the KTM office. While waiting for the next train you can use the shop and restaurant upstairs. The staff are friendly.
ATM at Padang Besar
If you have time and don’t mind the 20-minute walk (there and back) you can get yourself some Malaysian cash from the ATM. When I went to the Maybank (popular in Penang) on one occasion, the ATM wasn’t working……damn, but fortunately, the shop very close to Maybank had an ATM (Phew). You can see the ATM (see picture – the yellow sign is the ATM Maybank) from leaving the right-hand side, upstairs of the station.
Across the street from the Maybank, there is a mobile phone shop I visited and bought a sim card with credit (internet and calls). Be warned; they take so long to register the SIM, and your train could be due.
The KTM Malaysian Train
I’m Jonesy. The one responsible for whole lot of things including having this Thailand site up and running. I first arrived in Thailand in 2008 and being a web developer it made sense to create a website and write some stuff about my second home. Enjoy your travels!
