How to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth by train

Penang and Kuala Lumpur are two of Malaysia’s most popular destinations, with huge numbers of locals and tourists travelling between them each year. Frequent flights and buses connect the two cities, and there’s an excellent road network, but the most stylish way to travel is onboard the ETS trains, which cover the 381 kilometres of track in around four hours.

Penang’s railway station is located on the mainland at Butterworth, so you might consider spending some time there before taking the ferry across to George Town on Penang Island. As one of Malaysia’s top destinations, there are plenty of things to do in Penang; visit the On Penang website for inspiration on how to make the most of your time on the island.

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Route map and details

From KL Sentral, the train first stops at the original Kuala Lumpur railway station before continuing north through the suburbs and out into open countryside.

After stopping at Ipoh and Taiping, the train leaves the West Coast Main Line and takes the short 10km branch line to Butterworth and its large port area.

Timetables

There are seven trains per day from KL Sentral to Butterworth: one Express service, one Gold service and five Platinum services.

Express trains make the fewest stops and complete the journey in around 3 hours 35 minutes, about half an hour faster than the Platinum trains. Gold trains stop more frequently and take roughly 4 hours 20 minutes.

How to buy tickets

The easiest way to buy train tickets in Malaysia is online rather than going to the station. You do pay a very small commission but the ease and convenience makes it worthwhile in our opinion.

Baolau is the best site to use for buying train tickets, they have access to the official booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.

Payment can be made using international credit cards and PDF tickets are sent to your email address within a few minutes. This is the actual ticket you need to board the train, so there’s no need to exchange it at the station before travel. You may prefer to print the pdf out, but it’s also fine to show it on your mobile phone to the conductor and station staff.

Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth train tickets

How much does it cost?

Tickets for the Express train are slightly more expensive than the Platinum trains. The Gold train is the slowest train, so the prices are the lowest.

All trains have Standard and Business Class apart from the Gold train, which only has Standard.

The prices for each class are:

What to expect onboard

Malaysia’s national railway company (KTMB) has invested millions of ringgits into its infrastructure in recent years, and it’s no more apparent than the onboard train experience. The KL Sentral to Butterworth service uses the latest ETS (Electric Train Service) train sets, which were designed in China and assembled in Malaysia.

There are six carriages available onboard, with one business class carriage and five standard class (the Gold service just has six standard class carriages). Business class seats are arranged 1 x 2 and offer more space than the standard class carriages, which are 2 x 2. Each carriage feels modern, safe and comfortable.

Business class is significantly more expensive than standard class and, in our opinion, isn’t worth the extra expense. Although you do receive a free meal and wider seat, the experience somehow fails to meet expectations. It might be partly because standard class is such a pleasant experience and there’s an excellent bistro car available in the middle of the train, where the food is exactly the same (and there’s a choice, unlike in Business Class). You can check out a full review of ETS Business Class here.

In Standard Class each seat has a tray table, armrest, footrest, recline button and charging points (both a three-pin plug and USB slot). There’s plenty of legroom and space between the seats, so you can easily spread out and get comfortable (handy if you’re onboard for the entire eight hour journey to Butterworth).

Each standard carriage is essentially the same as the others, the main difference are:

• Coach D has the two disabled spaces onboard and is also closest to the disabled toilet (which is reserved exclusively for disabled travellers).
• Coach C is closest to the Bistro Car and sees a slightly higher numbers of passengers walking back and forth to purchase food and drink.
• Coaches B and E include four seats set around a table, handy if you’re travelling as a group.

A few tips for a more comfortable Standard Class experience:

• Carriages are kept at a consistent 19C but it feels a lot colder at times. Remember to bring a light jumper, blanket or sarong to keep you warm during the trip.
• Smaller backpacks can be placed in the overhead racks. Larger suitcases should be stored in the luggage racks at the end of each carriage but competition for space can be fierce.
• We saw several suitcase left in the corridors between the carriages, confirming there isn’t always enough space in the luggage racks. As this is Malaysia, your suitcases will be safe in the corridor, but (as always) it’s best to pack light if possible and keep your bags close by.
• In general, ETS trains run to schedule and delays are uncommon.
• You’ll need to scan your ticket QR code at KL Sentral to access the platform and again at the ticket gates at Butterworth to exit the station.

What are the toilets like?

By public transport standards, the toilets on these relatively new trains are excellent. They’re all western-style (so no squat toilets to contend with) and are kept in very good condition, with toilet paper and hand wash available throughout the journey to Butterworth.

Each carriage has an indicator showing when the toilet is occupied. Facilities are located in Coaches B and E, while the toilet in Coach F is specially adapted and reserved for disabled passengers.

Catering options

Unlike Business Class, Standard Class passengers don’t receive complimentary food or drinks, and there’s no trolley service moving through the train. Instead, you’ll need to walk to the Bistro Car in the middle of the train (Coach C) to buy refreshments.

Malaysia is famous for its food, so it’s nice to see the national railway company offering meals that are both tasty and affordable. The dishes are microwaved to order and may not look particularly appetising at first, but the quality is surprisingly good.

There are usually several options available, such as nasi lemak, fried noodles and other local favourites. At around RM12, the prices are excellent value, with payment accepted in cash or via e-wallets. Soft drinks, tea, coffee, crisps and biscuits are also available.

The bistro itself doesn’t have seating, so you’ll need to take your food and drinks back to your seat to eat.

Journey description

KL Sentral is every bit the modern transport hub and is well connected to the city’s public transport network. From here, trains to Butterworth make their way slowly through the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Keep your eyes peeled for glimpses of the iconic skyline, including KL Tower, Merdeka 118 and the Petronas Towers.

For the first hour or so after leaving the city, the scenery is more urban than rural, though the views gradually improve as the train enters the state of Perak. Just beyond the major city of Ipoh, look out for the lake crossing at Bukit Merah, home to the orangutans at the Bukit Merah Orangutan Foundation.

Around 10km before the end of the journey, the train leaves the West Coast Main Line and follows the short branch line to Butterworth, stopping just a few minutes’ walk from the ferry to Penang Island.