It is 1 to 2 hours quicker to travel by train from Penang to Kuala Lumpur than it is to travel by bus. The advantages of travelling by bus is that it is cheaper than the train and there are bus services departing from the centre of Georgetown (the main town on Penang Island). The disadvantage is that bus travel is generally less comfortable than travel by train and the main bus station in Kuala Lumpur is further away from the popular parts of the city centre than the main train station.
Train Times from Penang to Kuala Lumpur
There are currently 6 direct train services a day from Butterworth Railway Station (near Penang) to Kuala Lumpur.
Train | Butterworth | Kuala Lumpur | Service |
9171 | 05:15 | 09:29 | ETS Platinum |
9173 | 06:20 | 10:34 | ETS Platinum |
9321 | 07:50 | 12:14 | ETS Platinum |
9175 | 12:45 | 17:00 | ETS Platinum |
9177 | 16:05 | 20:20 | ETS Platinum |
9179 | 18:45 | 23:00 | ETS Platinum |
Buy Tickets from Penang to Kuala Lumpur
Use the Search Box below to buy your train tickets from Butterworth Train Station near Penang to Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station.
Butterworth Railway Station
To travel by train from Penang you need to first go to the mainland, either by the car ferry which departs frequently between 05:20 and 10:00, or by road over the bridge. The closest train station is Butterworth Railway Station.
Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station
Trains from Penang to Kuala Lumpur stop at Kuala Lumpur’s KL Sentral Station.
Local Transport in Kuala Lumpur
Sentral Station in Kuala has probably the best transport connections of any city centre train station in South East Asia. You can take a taxi but with a small amount of research you can travel much more cheaply, and quicker, on Kuala Lumpur’s excellent and modern public transport system.

Kuala Lumpur has 6 suburban rail services, and plans to construct a 7th which with be an underground metro system. 5 of the 6 suburban railway lines run from Sentral Station, and the 6th one which doesn’t has interchange with one which does run from Sentral Station. If you plan to travel to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station then consider taking the KLIA Ekspres service which completes the journey from the railway station to the airport in only 28 minutes.