Malaysia and Thailand are planning to bring back the direct train service between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok this year, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
He mentioned that the service could start quickly since it will use the existing railway line that connects Bangkok, Padang Besar, Butterworth, and Kuala Lumpur.
“Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) have three months to get things ready for the Kuala Lumpur–Bangkok train operations.”
“We don’t need a new track, but we do need to coordinate, market together, and manage ticketing between the two countries,” he told BERNAMA.
During his visit, Loke met with Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister, Suriya Juangroongruangkit. He also checked out the Bang Sue Central Terminal and got a briefing on Thailand’s high-speed rail services.
Meanwhile, Loke also mentioned that Thai authorities suggested extending rail services from Sungai Golok to Rantau Panjang and Pasir Mas in Malaysia.
He welcomed the idea, saying it could boost local economies and improve lives in the border region.
“We’ll need some time to prepare for reviving the railway link between Sungai Golok, Rantau Panjang, and Pasir Mas.”
“This is because we need to restore the long-unused railway lines in Rantau Panjang and Sungai Golok,” he added.
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