Phuket to Kuala Lumpur

The first stage of the journey by train from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur is to take a bus to Surat Thani. On arrival in Surat Thani travellers then complete the remainder of the journey by rail.

Stage 1: Phuket to Surat Thani Train Station

The cheapest way to travel from Phuket to Surat Thani Train Station is to take a bus service which travels direct to the train station, rather than to the centre of Surat Thani City.

• Buy bus tickets from Phuket to Surat Thani Railway Station

Stage 2: Surat Thani to Padang Besar

The next stage of the journey from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur is to take a train from Surat Thani to Padang Besar in Malaysia.

• Buy train tickets from Surat Thani to Padang Besar

Stage 3: Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur

The third and final stage of the journey is to take a train from Padang Besar all the way to Kuala Lumpur.

• Buy train tickets from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur

Location of Phuket Bus Terminal 2

Nearly all of the bus services from Phuket to Surat Thani Train Station listed above depart from Phuket Bus Terminal 2.

Location of Surat Thani Train Station

Read more about Surat Thani Railway Station.

Location of Padang Besar Train Station

Passengers wishing to travel to Kuala Lumpur need to alight at Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia. Before reaching Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia the train will pass by another station also called Padang Besar Railway Station which is located in Thailand.

Location of Kuala Lumpur Train Station

Kuala Lumpur has several different train stations, however, the city’s main train terminal is KL Sentral Station.

About Train Travel to Kuala Lumpur

By train the journey from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur takes at least 23 hours. Around 11 hours in total is spent travelling by train. Approximately 4 hours is spent travelling by bus. The rest of the time is spent waiting for connecting train services.

Departure from Phuket

Bus services from Phuket to Surat Thani depart from either Phuket Bus Terminal 1 or Phuket Bus Terminal 2. Phuket Bus Terminal 1 is the island’s main local bus station. It’s located in the centre of Phuket Town.

Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is the island’s main long distance bus terminal. It’s located about 5 km by road from Phuket Town. The easiest way to reach Phuket Bus Terminal 2 by public transport is to first travel into the centre of Phuket Town. There is an inexpensive shared taxi service which departs every 20 minutes from Phuket Bus Terminal 1 and takes about 20 minutes to complete the journey to Phuket Bus Terminal 2. This service departs from Platform 7 of Phuket Bus Terminal 1.

Facilities at Surat Thani Railway Station

The current once a day train service from Surat Thani to Padang Besar departs at 01:52. This means that passengers travelling by connecting bus services from Phuket have a wait of 7 hours or longer between the time they arrive at Surat Thani Railway Station and the departure time of the train to Padang Besar.

Surat Thani Railway Station is not located in Surat Thani City. It’s located 16 km to the west of the city in a small town called Tha Kham. What we recommend is that travellers check into one of the inexpensive small hotels close to the Surat Thani Railway Station and rest there until the train to Padang Besar departs. There are 2 hotels within 200 metres walking distance of ticket hall at Surat Thani Railway Station:

• Phunphin Station
• Queen Hotel

Both hotels can be booked in advance online via major hotel booking websites.

Other facilities near the station include restaurants, cafes, late night food stalls, and a 24 hour convenience store.

Train to Padang Besar

Train #45 is scheduled to complete the journey from Surat Thani to Padang Besar in Malaysia in 6 hours 13 minutes. The arrival time is 09:05 in Malaysia, which is 08:05 in Thailand.

There is only 1 seat type available on Train #45, which is 2nd Class A/C Sleeper. By the time the train reaches Surat Thani all the beds on the train will be prepared and passengers joining the train in Surat Thani can go straight to their bed for 5 to 6 hours of sleep before they disembark the train in Malaysia.

Immigration Control for Train Travellers

The current procedure for passengers travelling by train from Thailand to Malaysia is that they are required to visit the immigration centre inside Padang Besar Railway Station before continuing their journey any further into Malaysia.

The immigration centre, which is located on the ground floor of the station, is jointly operated by Thai and Malaysian authorities. Passengers travelling by train from Thailand to Malaysia need to go to the Thai immigration desk first. After completing immigration procedures for exiting Thailand, passengers then need to visit the Malaysian immigration desk to complete immigration procedures for entering Malaysia.

Trains to Kuala Lumpur

By train the journey from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur is scheduled to take from 4 hours 50 minutes to 5 hours 39 minutes depending upon which train you take.

All train services from Padang Besar are electric train services with a modern style of passenger train carriages similar to the types of trains operating in Western Europe. Depending on the train, there are up to 3 different seat types available on these train services: Second Class Seat, Business Seat, and Premier Seat.

The differences between the 3 seat types on trains from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur are not as great as the differences between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class seat types in Thailand. Train services from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur are 100% air-conditioned and all seats are padded. The difference between Second Class Seats and Business Seats or Premier Seats in Malaysia is the amount of personal space passengers are allocated.

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