Butterworth Station to Padang Besar Station by Train
This is my review of the train between Butterworth and Padang Besar in Malaysia. This is a KTM Komuter train that runs every hour or so, eighteen times a day. This is part of my Singapore to Beijing train trip.
🇲🇾 TRAIN 5: Butterworth to Padang Besar
🚂 KTM Komuter 2970
🗓️ Date of Travel: 8th October 2024
⏰ Departure: 14:35 | Arrival: 16:26
⏱️ Duration: 1 hour and 51 minutes
📏 Distance: 169.8km
🎟️ Ticket: 11.40 ringgit
QUICK LINKS: TRAIN 1 | TRAIN 2 | TRAIN 3 | TRAIN 4 | TRAIN 5 | TRAIN 6 | TRAIN 7 | TRAIN 8 | TRAIN 9 | TRAIN 10
Tickets for this electric train cannot be bought in advance, and seat reservations are not available. You can either queue at the ticket office at the station on the day or, as I did, buy the ticket using the KTM app while on the ferry crossing over from Penang Island. Note that these tickets are not for any particular train but are valid for any train on that day.
My plan was to connect to Special Express No. 46 at Padang Besar, which departs at 6:00 p.m. Malaysian time. This is my train to Bangkok. I took the 12:30 p.m. ferry to the mainland, giving me about an hour to have lunch at the shopping mall near the pier. The walk from the pier to the station is only ten minutes, and as there isn’t much to see or do at the station, it’s best to wait at the mall.
I arrived at Butterworth Station about 30 minutes before my train’s departure at 2:35 p.m. Since I had already purchased my ticket online, I just had to scan the QR code on my phone at the ticket barriers. One thing to note: there are no toilets on this commuter train, so it’s advisable to use the free toilets at the mall. You can also buy any snacks you might need at the 7-Eleven in the mall, as the shop at the station has limited stock.
After passing through the ticket barriers, there is a large air-conditioned waiting room. About 15 minutes before departure, you can go down to the platform. The train arrived about five minutes later. There are “Ladies Only” carriages in the middle of the train, but these restrictions are not enforced on this route. A cleaner came through the train for a quick tidy-up, but it’s a very fast turnaround. Ten minutes later, our train left exactly on time at 2:35 p.m. It’s important to note that the gates are locked five minutes before departure, so don’t be late.
My train today was a six-car EMU electric train. The first and last carriages only have seats along the edge that face inwards, providing more space for standing passengers. The next carriages from each end have three rows of seats facing forwards and three rows facing backwards. In the middle, there are rows of seats along the edge facing inwards. The two middle carriages have the same seat plan but are designated as “Ladies Only,” although anyone can sit in these cars on this route.
There isn’t a café or any toilets on this train. However, as the entire route is less than two hours, they aren’t really necessary. The seats are not particularly well-padded, but they are sufficient for the short trip. The seatbacks are almost upright, and none of the seats swivel to face the direction of travel. Since there are no reserved seats, it’s first-come, first-served. I chose a forward-facing seat by the window, which also had a three-pin plug socket in the wall. The carriage was air-conditioned and clean, so I had no real complaints—it did the job.
We arrived at Padang Besar 15 minutes late, which is unusual as this train is typically reliable. While we’re on the topic of time, I want to give a very important warning. Even before we arrived at Padang Besar, my watch and smartphone automatically switched to Thai time, which is one hour behind Malaysian time. At first, I thought I had plenty of time to catch my connecting Thai train. Luckily, I realised what had happened just in time.
➡️ BUYING TICKETS:
🇹🇭 Thailand: DTicket
🇲🇾 Malaysia: KTMB
➡️ TRANSPORTATION TICKETS IN ASIA:
✅ 12GO Asia
✅ Trip Dot Com
✅ Baolau
QUICK LINKS: TRAIN 1 | TRAIN 2 | TRAIN 3 | TRAIN 4 | TRAIN 5 | TRAIN 6 | TRAIN 7 | TRAIN 8 | TRAIN 9 | TRAIN 10