The Butterworth to Bangkok Train : How to Book, Ride, and Survive the Journey
- Rand Blimes
- Apr 28
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 30
In 2015 we made an overland journey from Singapore to Bangkok. One of our best stops along that route was Georgetown, on the island of Penang. To get to Penange, you first take the train to the station at Butterworth.
When we arrived in Butterworth on the overnight train from KL, before we headed to the ferry and off to Georgetown, I purchased our train tickets for our onward journey. We planned to spend six days in Georgetown, and then we wanted to take the overnight train from Georgetown to Bangkok.
I asked for, “five tickets, please.”
The man in the window asked “upper or lower” (although he had to say it a couple of times before I understood). I got lower for the adults and upper for the kids, since the lower berths had a little extra room and cost a bit more. The upper berths cost RM103 (US$24) and the lower cost RM112 (US$26).
We easily got five tickets all together for six days in the future. There are only two cars (both second class sleeping cars) that make the trip so they can fill up. Our hotel owner told us of a woman who visited in late November expecting to stay in Georgetown about 4 days. But she didn’t have her tickets to Bangkok booked. She ended up staying three weeks! She could have taken the bus, and even flying on Air Asia is not much more expensive, but if you want the train during the high season it is best to book ahead. In early July, we had no trouble getting our tickets a few days ahead of time.
The tricky thing about getting your tickets ahead of time is that you can’t buy the international express tickets outside of Malaysia. So if you plan to take this trip, head to a KTM station and make your reservation as soon as you get into the country.
Booking Your Butterworth to Bangkok Train Tickets
The day of our departure we had to check out of the hotel at 12:00 and the train was scheduled to leave at 14:00. So we checked out and walked to the ferry dock. There is usually a free shuttle bus, but too many roads were closing down for Georgetown’s Heritage Festival. So, we walked. It only took about 15 minutes. But boy was it hot.
We caught a ferry that left about 10 minutes after we got there. The ferry going from Georgetown to Butterworth is free (from Butterworth to Georgetown it costs RM7.7 (less than US$2). From the ferry, you basically just follow the KTM sign to the train station.
Our train was right on time. You basically sit in a waiting area until right before the train leaves. The workers then let you in, you head down the stairs and find the tiny train (again, only two cars). It is pretty easy to find you car: if you are not on the first car you come to, just walk to the only other car you see.
The berths are labeled with even numbers being lower berths and odd upper. During the day, the setup is two large seats facing each other. There is also a removable table that can be set up between the seats. We set ours up and proceeded to play cards. The scenery was rolling rice fields and small towns, and eventually you start to get limestone karst scenery.
Crossing the Malaysia–Thailand Border
Eventually an extremely nice man came along to take our dinner and breakfast orders. We ordered three meals for the five of us (which we usually find is just about perfect), and a few breakfast sandwiches for the next morning.
At around 5pm we stopped and a conductor yelled “early passport check.” As far as I know, passport check and immigration usually takes place at Hat Yai, Thailand, and my phone showed me we still had a ways to go to reach Hat Yai. We were at a stop called Padang Besar right on the border.
We were told to bring our passports but we could leave our bags on the train.
The border crossing was easy. There was no one at the station except for those on the (small) train. We lined up, filed quickly through Malaysian immigration, and then slowly through Thai immigration. Then we walked back to where the train was sitting and got back on. The train then sat there for an hour or so, making it almost impossible to get left behind.
When we got back to our berths, the dinners we had ordered were waiting for us. It was not great food (especially after a week in Georgetown), but it was acceptable.
A man also came around shortly offering to exchange money. We had some leftover ringgit so we exchanged. We had 20 ringgit which Google told me should fetch 157 bhat at the time. The man offered us 150. I thought that was pretty good for an exchange in the middle of nowhere.
The Long Night to Bangkok
And that is where things took a turn for the worse. It took us only three and a half hours of travel time to get to Hat Yai, Thailand, which looked to be about one third of the trip. I figured we would get to Bangkok early.
They made our beds up and I tried to watch a movie on my iPad, but the rocking of the train was soothing, and I was soon sleepy. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I fell asleep at about 10pm feeling pretty happy.
When I woke up the next morning I checked my phone and thought google maps must have made a mistake. According to my map, between 10pm the previous night and 8am we had travelled about the same distance as in the first three hours of the journey. We were still deep in southern Thailand.
My wife had woken up in the night and said we had sat perfectly still in a station for at least an hour. And we must have done that more than once, because we had made shockingly little progress.
Soon the food hawkers came through trying to sell us breakfast. Our problem was, we only had our 150 bhat. We said no thank you, and the woman looked shocked. She explained that we were running about 6 hours late and we wouldn’t get into Bangkok until late in the afternoon. We told here we didn’t have cash. She tried to find us an ATM at a stop, but there were none to be had.
Long story short, we got very, very hungry on the rest of the trip. After our early dinner (5:30) the night before, this is what the five of us had until 5:30pm the next day: one small loaf of bread with kaya spread (everyone got two pieces), three Oreos each, one small bag of potato chips, and about two liters of water. And that was it.
My kids still refer to this as the “Hunger Train.”
We all just laid around trying not to move. Fortunately they left the beds up until deep in the afternoon.
Arrival in Bangkok
Before you get to your destination, the conductor will come around and let you know it is your stop. When we finally got to Bangkok, we grabbed a quick snack at the station and hopped in a taxi.
When I had researched the driving route from the train station to our hotel near Khao San Road, it said the drive was 17 minutes plus traffic. I hadn’t managed to buy a SIM card for my phone in Thailand yet, so I couldn’t get the traffic situation at the time, but the sky train didn’t get anywhere near the train station at that time, so we just took a taxi.
It took us one hour and twenty four minutes.
The “hunger taxi.”
When we finally staggered into our hotel room, I was ready to snap. I wanted to kill.
But out into the street we went, and all my worries were gone with the first bite of moo ping. It wasn’t even very good moo ping. But a mediocre moo ping is still better than many, many other foods.
And now I am a better person. Because what travel doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
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