Bangkok to Padang Besar (Malaysia)

Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia is the connection point between the Thai and Malaysian railway networks. By train the journey from Bangkok to Padang Besar is scheduled to take 15 hours 55 minutes.

Trains Times from Bangkok to Padang Besar

There is currently 1 train service a day from Bangkok to Padang Besar.

• Departure times are in Thailand time, which is 1 hour behind Malaysian time.
• Arrival times are in Malaysian time.

Buy Tickets from Bangkok to Padang Besar

Use the Search Box below to buy your train tickets from Bangkok to Padang Besar.

Bangkok Train Station

Trains from Bangkok to Padang Besar depart from Bangkok main train terminus Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station.

Padang Besar Train Station

Padang Besar Railway Station is located a short distance from the border between Thailand and Malaysia.

About Travel to Padang Besar

There are two Padang Besar Railway Stations, one in the Thai half of Padang Besar town and another in the Malaysian part of Padang Besar town. If you are planning to travel onward in Malaysia, then the station you want to go to is the one just across the border in Malaysia. This is an interchange station with Malaysian railway services.

Passport Control at Padang Besar Railway Station

If you are travelling by direct train from Bangkok to Padang Besar then you don’t need to show your passport until you reach Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia. There are two set of immigration desks, one Malaysian and one Thai, located inside the station building which open up to coincide with the arrival of three daily trains from Thailand, and the departure of three daily trains to Thailand.

On arrival by train from Thailand you need to go straight to the immigration desks after you leave the train. There will be a queue for both desks so be prepared to wait in line for a while. Passengers arriving at Padang Besar Railway Station need to go to the Thai immigration desk first to complete exit procedures for Thailand, and then second to the Malaysian immigration desk to gain authorisation to enter Malaysia.

Onward Travel by Train

There are two types of train services heading south from Padang Besar Railway Station.

The first of these, and the busiest, is the Komuter service which terminates at Butterworth Railway Station. Butterworth Railway Station is closest mainline railway station to the island of Penang, and it’s a short walk to the commuter ferry to George Town in Penang. There are around 18 Komuter train services a day from Padang Besar to Buterworth, and the journey takes just under 2 hours.

The second type of railway service is the long distance KTM services which run on the West Coast Mainline terminating at Gemas. The journey by train to Ipoh takes around 3 hours and to Kuala Lumpur the journey is scheduled to take around 6 hours. For travel to Johor Bahru and Singapore you need to take a train to Gemas (8 hours) and then change trains for a journey of 4 to 5 hours to Johor Bahru, from where you can cross into Singapore.

Onward Travel by Bus

There are very limited bus services from Padang Besar. The only bus services available are to the larger town of Kangar, where you can then take a bus to destinations such as Kuala Lumpur.

The main bus station in Padang Besar (Terminal Padang Besar) is located on the main road to the south of Padang Besar Railway Station. Because of the ways the roads are configured it’s over 4 km from the train station to the bus station so you would need to take a taxi.

Travel south by bus from Padang Besar is an inconvenient option that only really makes sense if all the trains are all fully booked in advance or the service was suspended for some reason.

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