How to get from Padang Besar (Malaysia) to Bangkok by train

Special Express train number 46 travels 1000km from the Malaysia/Thai border at Padang Besar to Bangkok. By the time you arrive in Thailand’s capital city, you’ll have completed one of the best train journeys in Southeast Asia. This international train operates as a comfortable and convenient overnight sleeper service, departing Padang Besar in the late-afternoon and arriving into Bangkok’s modern Krung Thep Aphiwat station the following morning.

It’s very popular with tourists looking for an alternative and adventurous route between the two countries, so it makes sense to plan ahead and book your tickets as far in advance as possible.

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Route map and details

For the first hour of the journey, train number 45 only consists of two sleeper carriages and an engine. Once it reaches Hat Yai Junction, several minutes of shunting and manoeuvring take place to hook it up to Special Express number 38, which has just arrived from Sungai Kolok in the far southeast corner of Thailand. Once the two trains are connected, all the carriages proceed together to Bangkok.

From here, the train joins the main Southern Line and heads north through the southern provinces of Thailand, passing Surat Thani and then hugging the coastline of the Gulf of Thailand. The final stretch sees the train turn east and making its way through the sprawling suburbs into Bangkok.

Timetables

There is only one train per day from Padang Besar to Bangkok.

Note that the train departs at 5.00pm Thai time, which is 6.00pm Malaysian time. All timetables in Thailand use Thai time, regardless of whether they are starting in another country.

Keep this in mind if you are planning to arrive on the Butterworth to Padang Besar train, as there isn’t much to keep you occupied at Padang Besar station and immigration is only open an hour or so before the train is due to depart.

¹ Thailand time

How to buy tickets

The easiest way to buy train tickets in Thailand 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 live Thai Railways booking engine, so you can easily see availability, timetables and prices.

Payment can be made using international credit cards and PDF confirmation 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 conductors and station staff.

Bangkok to Padang Besar train tickets

How much does it cost?

Only second-class berths (A/C) are available on the train from Padang Besar to Bangkok. The lower bunks, which are wider, have a window, and are easier to access, are slightly more expensive.

The prices for each class are:

MYR100 is approximately £18 or US$25

What to expect on board

Thai sleeper trains are an excellent way to travel across the country overnight. During the daytime, the beds are converted into comfortable facing seats, ideal if you’re travelling as a couple, although it also works fine for solo travellers.

Attendants appear in the carriage from around 6.00pm to make the beds up, but you can ask to have this done earlier or later if you prefer. Each berth has its own pillow, blanket and sheet.

Lower berths are the most popular, mainly because they have the window, are slightly wider, and are easier to get in and out of. Upper berths don’t have a window and are more impacted by the bright lighting that’s left on for the entire journey. You also have to be quite agile to climb up the tiny metal ladder to access them. If you have the choice, the extra RM8 is money well spent on the lower berth.

One of our top packing essentials for train travel (especially sleepers) is a good travel eye mask. This really is a must for the Bangkok-Padang sleeper train.

Luggage is stored either in your berth or the small luggage racks in the corridor. Small backpacks fit into the space much easier and are infinitely preferable to large, rigid suitcases, which tend to block the corridor. We usually take a small padlock and tether with us to secure our backpacks to the storage area, but it’s by no means essential. Thai trains are safe places and theft is rare.

Several different type of carriages (manufactured in China or Japan) can be used on this service and it’s pot-luck which ones you get. If it’s one of the older-style carriages, you might notice that they’re showing their age. Power points are available on most carriages, but the quantity and location can vary.

Thai trains use a Type A, B and C plug (two flat parallel pins), so don’t forget your travel adapter. We also recommend packing a compact power bank just in case power points aren’t available.

What are the toilets and wash facilities like?

Although somewhat cramped, the toilets are kept clean throughout the journey and there seemed to be enough toilet-paper, although it’s always best to carry your own. Each carriage has its own pair of toilets, one Western-style and one ‘squat-and-drop’.

Two sinks are also located at the end of carriage, providing space for washing hands and brushing teeth. It’s not five-star luxury but more than adequate for a quick clean-up before bedtime.

Catering options

A catering car is usually hooked onto the train after Hat Yai Junction, although it’s typically at the far end of the train and slightly difficult to reach due to luggage in the corridors and the swaying motion of the train. A better option is the catering staff who walk through the train with a menu, then you can order with them and have the meals delivered to your berth. A small tip is appreciated for this service.

As this is Thailand, there will never be a shortage of food vendors making their way through the train, offering drinks, snacks and meals. It’s safe to eat and good quality, expect to pay THB20 for soft drinks and THB50 – 100 for fried chicken, rice, pad kra pao, etc.

Alcohol is prohibited onboard the train, as it is on the entire Thai railway network.

Journey description

Padang Besar (like most border towns) isn’t a place to spend too much time, so try and arrive here as close to departure as possible, but still allowing enough time for immigration and the boarding process. If you do arrive early, there’s a small cafe, shop, and an uncomfortable waiting room.

An hour or so before departure, the metal gates are opened and passengers can walk down to Malaysian and Thai immigration (do remember that the train is departing at 5.00pm Thai time, which is 6.00pm Malaysia time). It’s not particularly well organised and the queues can build up, especially if they’re also processing passengers for the earlier Hat Yai departure. Unlike at some other Malaysian entry and exit ports, there are no smart-gates and everyone has to be processed manually.

Once you’ve cleared immigration and waited in the small holding area, you’ll be invited to board around thirty minutes before departure. There are only two sleeper carriages so you won’t have much trouble finding the correct one, but staff are there to help in any case.

It’s only a short journey to Hat Yai Junction, but it’s one of the prettiest parts of the journey, with the sun setting and illuminating the mountains and hills of southern Thailand. After the jolting and shunting at Hat Yai, the train continues north at a relaxed pace, stopping every half an hour or so, passing Surat Thani at 10.50pm.

Aside from a few stops throughout the night, it’s quite peaceful until 6.00am when you’ll hear the first calls of the drinks vendors, and the clank-clank of berths being returned to their day-modes.

By 8.00am, the skyscrapers and suburbs of Bangkok come into view. Just after 9.00am, the train arrives at its final destination of Krung Thep Aphiwat Station, which is efficient, huge and slightly soulless.

A grand expansion of the Thai railway network (including high-speed international trains) is planned over the next decade, and this will significantly increase the number of services using the station. With this in mind, Krung Thep Aphiwat has been built on a large scale, with vast areas currently unused, patiently awaiting the trains and crowds that are planned for the future.

After you’ve walked through the giant arrival area, either take the MRT into the city centre or download the Grab app and book a simple ride into town, which should take approximately forty minutes, depending on traffic.