A guide to the Padang Besar Railway Station border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand.
Padang Besar is an international railway station in Malaysia on the Thailand border. There is also a separate Padang Besar station in Thailand in Tambon Padangbesa.
If you are getting the train between Thailand and Malaysia, you will be going through Padang Besar in Malaysia. This a guide for crossing the border at Padang Besar, and what trains to get to travel between Malaysia and Thailand.
Padang Besar station guide
Padang Besar map
Padang Besar Railway Station (Malaysia)
Train travel from Malaysia to Thailand
Train travel from Thailand to Malaysia
Padang Besar Railway Station (Thailand)
Padang Besar train services
Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar
Gemas to Padang Besar
Butterworth (Penang) to Padang Besar
Hat Yai to Padang Besar
Bangkok to Padang Besar
Padang Besar map
[Map of Padang Besar Malaysia and Thailand.]
Padang Besar Railway Station (Malaysia)
Padang Besar Railway Station in Malaysia is the border-crossing station for Malaysia-Thailand train travel.
Train travel from Malaysia to Thailand
[Passengers arriving at Padang Besar Malaysia.]
KTM trains from Kuala Lumpur, Gemas, and Butterworth terminate at Padang Besar (Malaysia). If you are continuing to Thailand, there are SRT trains at this station. You can transfer to the Thailand section of the station without exiting the station, so don’t go through the exit gates.
[Exit gates at Padang Besar Malaysia.]
There is a cafe and some food available here, but there is nothing on the Thailand side of the station, so buy what you need here.
[Cafe at Padang Besar.]
There are ticket booths for minivan services inside the station. If you don’t have time to wait for the next train, then this is an alternative way to get to Hat Yai.
[Padang Besar-Hat Yai van services.]
There is a ticket area inside the station that has windows for Malaysia and Thailand trains. The ticket booths are clearly marked with flags.
[Malaysia and Thailand ticket offices at Padang Besar.]
For train travel in Thailand you will be issued a ticket from the SRT. Tickets can be bought in Malaysian Ringgit or Thai Baht.
[Ticket from Padang Besar to Hat Yai.]
There is also a 1 hour time difference to factor in. Malaysia is 1 hour ahead of Thailand, and the departure time for Thailand trains is shown in Thai time.
[Thailand and Malaysia time zones.]
When you are ready to leave, follow the signs to the immigration area. Border control for Malaysia and Thailand is done at Padang Besar Malaysia. You will need to check the visa status of your country to see if you can cross by land.
Once you pass through immigration of both countries, you will be in the SRT section of the train station.
[SRT platform at Padang Besar Malaysia.]
As you are stamped out of Malaysia and stamped into Thailand, you are now technically in Thailand. The SRT platform is just the same platform as the Malaysia section with a small fence separating the two countries.
[Thailand platform at Padang Besar.]
Trains from Padang Besar into Thailand are operated by the SRT.
[SRT train arriving at Padang Besar.]
Train travel from Thailand to Malaysia
SRT trains from Bangkok and Hat Yai to Padang Besar terminate at the Malaysia Padang Besar.
[Thailand platforms at Padang Besar Malaysia.]
Padang Besar Railway Station (Thailand)
[Padang Besar Railway Station Thailand.]
After departing Padang Besar (Malaysia) the train crosses the border. This is visible by a security fence, and also marked on your Google Map.
[Malaysia-Thailand border crossing.]
The train to Hat Yai stops at Padang Besar in Thailand. The station is clearly marked as Padang Besar Station (Thai) and there is no border control here.
[Padang Besar Station (Thai).]
If you are coming from Hat Yai to go to Malaysia, then don’t get off here. If you get off here, you will have to walk to border crossing.
Padang Besar train services
Padang Besar (on both sides) is a typical border town that is bustling with international trucks and not much to do for the average tourist. If you are in Padang Besar, then you are most likely on the way to somewhere else.
[Trucks at Padang Besar.]
There are no through-trains that go via Padang Besar (for example a Bangkok-KL service). There is talk of reviving the Bangkok-Butterworth service, so I will add that to this list when it restarts. There are also some chartered tourist trains that run from KL to Hat Yai, but I haven’t added those services in this list.
Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar
KTM operate Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar services on the ETS railway. This is an electric train service (ETS) on modern trains that travel up to 140 km/h. Unfortunately this is a metre-gauge railway, so there is no prospect of there being a faster service on this line.
The KL-Padang Besar service doesn’t stop at Butterworth (Penang). If you are doing the KL-Penang-Padang Besar overland trip, you need to get the KL-Butterworth train, and then Butterworth-Padang Besar train.
Gemas to Padang Besar
[ETS train at Gemas.]
Gemas is about halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. This is as far as the electric railway reaches in the south. Passengers going further south have to transfer to a diesel train at Gemas to continue to Johor Bahru. This section will eventually be upgraded to electric, so there will be trains from Johor Bahru to Padang Besar (but not Singapore unfortunately).
Butterworth (Penang) to Padang Besar
KTM operate commuter trains from Butterworth to Padang Besar. This is a useful service if you are coming from Penang and slowly making your way up the coast by train.
[Commuter train at Butterworth.]
There are seats on the side of the carriage and the rest is standing-room only.
If you travel during the peak hour it becomes apparent why it is a commuter train.
Hat Yai to Padang Besar
[Hatyai-Padang Besar.]
The SRT operate a shuttle train from Hat Yai to Padang Besar. The carriages are 3rd class padded bench seats, and there is no need to book in advance.
[SRT 3rd Class carriage with ceiling fans.]
Hat Yai is a major travel hub for Southern Thailand. From Hat Yai you can join other train services further north, or get a bus or van to a coastal destination.
[Padang Besar train at Hat Yai.]
Hat Yai is also worth a visit in its own right, so stick around for a day and have a look around. Here is my trip report for Hat Yai.
Bangkok to Padang Besar
The International Express is a daily train service that operates between Bangkok and Padang Besar.
Train 45: Bangkok to Padang Besar.
Train 46: Padang Besar to Bangkok.
It’s advisable to book this service in advance if you want a bed.
[Directions for Bangkok train at Padang Besar Malaysia.]
This article is part of the Nomadic Notes train travel series. Read more about Malaysia train travel and Southeast Asia train travel.
