KTMB and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the national train operator in Thailand have announced several exciting new collaborations between our 2 countries, which include the reviving of a direct train service from Bangkok to Butterworth station in Penang!
Taking to its official Facebook page, SRT said in a statement that both national train operators have agreed in principle on a test run of service between Bangkok and Butterworth.
Bangkok-Butterworth direct train service will be introduced soon
Accordingly, a joint study into the proposal will be conducted, with the Bangkok-Butterworth direct train service slated to operate initially for 6 months.
This announcement comes after the Deputy Governor of SRT, Awirut Thongnet led a delegation to attend the 42nd KTMB-SRT Joint Conference in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
The meeting was aimed at enhancing the rail service cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand, promoting seamless travel and cargo transportation between both nations.
For context, SRT cancelled its daily express train service between Bangkok and Butterworth in 2016, with the route ending at Padang Besar station at the Malaysia-Thailand border instead.
In order for passengers to travel to Butterworth, they must switch to a KTMB train at Padang Besar to continue to Butterworth or anywhere else in Malaysia.
As for the upcoming new direct train, it will start from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok to Butterworth station in Penang and vice versa.
For illustration purposes
KTMB’s Kuala Lumpur-Hat Yai special train service expanded until Surat Thani province
Besides that, SRT also announced that it has approved KTMB’s MySawasdee tourist train to operate all the way to Surat Thani province instead of only until Hat Yai station.
In case you’re not familiar, the MySawasdee special train is KTMB’s express train service that brings passengers directly to Hat Yai from KL Sentral and vice versa.
For illustration purposes
SRT noted that the MySawasdee train has been a success as it has consistently operated at full capacity, further supporting tourism and generating additional revenues for Thailand.
Awesome! So, what do you guys think of the collaboration between the 2 nations’ train operators? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
