How to travel Bangkok to Singapore by train: an adventurous indirect journey

Bangkok to Singapore is the ninth busiest international flight route in the world, so there’s no doubt that many people want to travel between the two cities, but how many of them are making the journey by rail? In truth, only a tiny fraction of the total journeys are made onboard a train.

But long-distance rail travel has never just been about rushing from place to place, instead it’s a conscious decision to slow down, appreciate the journey and see the world from 6ft rather than 36,000. For those travellers who opt to travel from Bangkok to Singapore by train, an adventurous (if slightly cumbersome) journey awaits.

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Was there ever a direct train from Bangkok to Singapore?

READ: Past and future plans for the Bangkok to Singapore line

Aside from a luxurious charter train option (which we discuss later), there has never been a direct service between the two cities, although the overall journey, spread over several legs, was much easier in the past. Changes at the Thai and Singapore ends of the trip have complicated matters, while gradual improvements on the Malaysian network have temporarily impacted rail travel within the country.

Until 2016, the International Express ran direct from Bangkok to Butterworth, but this now terminates at the border town of Padang Besar. At other end of the line, trains from Malaysia used to run deep into Singapore to the central station at Tanjong Pagar, but following the end of a decades-old agreement that had ceded ownership to Malaysia, the station and tracks (and land it was built all on) reverted back to Singapore. Their government promptly closed the station and dismantled the tracks, forcing services from Malaysia to terminate at Woodlands in the far north of the city.

How do you get from Bangkok to Singapore by train?

Prepare for an adventure, but there’s some planning to do first…

With the current complications throughout the route, you need equal parts imagination and organisation to attempt the journey from Bangkok to Singapore by rail, but it can be done, and it’s highly rewarding one you get going.

Booking tickets

For trains in Thailand and Malaysia, the best option is to book tickets online in advance where possible. Our recommendation is to use the excellent Baolau site, where you can also check timetables and availability. The site shows live status of seats and after booking, tickets are delivered to your inbox as a pdf.

Note that you can’t simply buy a ticket from Bangkok to Singapore. Each leg needs to be booked separately.

Leg 1 – from Thailand into Malaysia

READ OUR GUIDE: Thailand train travel

Click here to book your train ticket from Bangkok to Padang Besar

Board the SRT diesel train (number 45) from Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat station to Padang Besar at the Thai/Malaysian border.

The number 45 train departs Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station at 4.10pm, arriving to Padang Besar at 9.05am the next day. Very comfortable second-class sleepers are available and it’s one of the most memorable overnight sleeper trains in Southeast Asia.

Tickets cost THB920 (US$30) for a second-class sleeper berth.

There’s barely time for breakfast and a cup of coffee before you disembark the train at Padang Besar, depart Thailand and enter Malaysia on foot. Sadly, the train terminates here and (somewhat apologetically) makes its way back to Bangkok.

Leg 2 – onwards through Malaysia

READ OUR GUIDE: Malaysia train travel

You now have two choices on how to proceed southwards through Malaysia.

Option 1 is the direct train from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru.

Option 2 gives the choice of breaking your journey in either Penang or Kuala Lumpur, before continuing to Johor Bahru.

Option 1: Directly to Johor Bahru

Click here to book your train ticket from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru

One daily train travels almost 900km non-stop from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru (JB Sentral), taking 10 hours and 25 minutes. This train runs the whole length of Malaysia and is a good option if you’re in a rush and don’t mind missing out on Penang or Kuala Lumpur.

Option 2a: Via Butterworth (recommended if you have the time):

Buy tickets for the KTM Komuter service from Padang Besar to Butterworth (RM12, two hours). This can’t be done in advance, so purchase from the ticket office or machines at Padang Besar. There are 18 trains per day heading south, so you won’t have to wait too long.

Here are the relevant train times for the Komuter service if you’ve just arrived on the number 45 train from Bangkok at 9.05am (you’ll probably miss the 8.35am service, but keep it in mind if you arrive super-early or if the Komuter train is running late).

The Komuter service uses mass transit trains with precious little glamour or romance, it’s more about squashing people onboard. There’s limited room for luggage and only very uncomfortable seats. It can also get very crowded, particularly around Alor Setar, although it’s usually quiet at Padang Besar and it’s easy enough to get a seat.

You should arrive into Butterworth in just under two hours. From there, jump on the ten-minute ferry from Butterworth to Penang Island. Spend a few hours wandering around George Town before returning to Butterworth to catch one of the last two trains to Kuala Lumpur.

If you’re not in a hurry and would prefer to stay longer on Penang Island, check out this handy guide for things to do in Penang and then catch any of the daily trains to KL Sentral.

Option 2b: Via Kuala Lumpur:

Click here to book your train ticket from Padang Besar to Kuala Lumpur

If you don’t fancy Penang, or would prefer the ETS train over the Komuter, book onto the ETS train from Padang Besar to KL Sentral (RM120) and enjoy an evening in the capital city. Read this handy visitor guide on comparing Kuala Lumpur to Penang as the two destinations are rather different.

It’s a very tight connection to make the 9.45am train considering you need to clear both Thai and Malaysian immigration. The likelihood is that you’d miss it and have to wait until 12.05pm.

As the ETS trains need to be booked in advance, our recommendation is to aim for the 12.05pm train and hang around Padang Besar station, although there isn’t much to occupy you here.

Onwards from KL:

Click here to book your train ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru

If you’ve not taken the direct train from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru, and find yourself in Kuala Lumpur, the next step is to get to JB Sentral.

There are five daily trains from KL Sentral to JB Sentral (RM70 – RM100, 4 hours 20 minutes).

Leg 3 – into Singapore

READ OUR GUIDE: Johor Bahru to Singapore train

Click here to book your shuttle ticket from Johor Bahru to Singapore

Finally, cross over from the causeway from Johor Bahru to Singapore (Woodlands CIQ) via the Shuttle Tebrau service (RM5, five minutes). Tickets can bought in advance online or from the ticket office at JB Sentral and are linked to your passport number. This is a popular service and it’s recommended to book online in advance if possible.

There are 18 shuttles per day, note that if you’ve arrived on the direct service from Padang Besar (at 10:30pm), you probably won’t make the final shuttle over the Causeway (departs at 10:45pm). There are buses and taxis available from JB Sentral to Singapore if you do miss the connection.

Malaysian immigration and customs are handled at JB before boarding the shuttle so you’ll need to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. At the other end, you’ll enter Singapore at Woodlands CIQ, where you clear customs and immigration before finally entering Singapore. The final few kilometres into central Singapore need to be taken by bus, taxi or MRT.

A recap – the entire route

As we mentioned at the beginning, it’s quite a complicated undertaking! So here’s a condensed version of the three recommended timetables:

Option 1 – using direct ETS from Padang Besar to Johor Bahru

Travel time: 29 hours 40 minutes
¹ Short connection, bus or taxi also available

Option 2a: the scenic route via Penang and afternoon sightseeing in George Town

Option 2b: ETS to Kuala Lumpur and evening exploring the capital city

Travel time: 44 hours 55 minutes

What is the total cost for the journey?

As we mentioned, there’s no single ticket between Bangkok and Singapore, you need to buy each leg separately:

Option 1:

Option 2a via Penang:

Option 2b direct to Kuala Lumpur:

A more glamourous option – Eastern and Oriental Express

For the ultimate in old-world glamour, the Eastern and Oriental Express was the most luxurious way to travel between Singapore and Bangkok. For many years, this rolling five-star hotel actually managed to cover the entire distance between the two cities using the same train, bridging a gap that conventional rail was unable to do.

Unfortunately, since the pandemic, the route has been curtailed and now only runs between Woodlands Station in Singapore to the northern Malaysian state of Perlis, where there’s (non-rail) side trip to the island of Langkawi before returning to Singapore.

So for the time being, the elusive direct journey is still unavailable, even with one of the most glamourous trains in the world.

Final thoughts

There’s no question that the train journey from Bangkok to Singapore is an adventure, but it’s not for someone looking to get from A to B in the fastest possible time. But what the train journey lacks in speed it more than makes up for in experience.

Rather than trudging through yet another airport and missing everything in-between, the train lets you lets you see Thailand and Malaysia at a slower pace, with the option of side trips to Penang and Kuala Lumpur. As you finally roll over the causeway into Singapore, you may well reflect that even though it’s taken you longer, this train journey is actually an example of what travelling is supposed to be.