To travel by train from Penang to Surat Thani you first need to go to Butterworth Railway Station to take a train to Padang Besar. At Padang Besar Railway Station you then need to change to a second train to travel to Surat Thani.
Train 1: Penang to Padang Besar
Butterworth Railway Station is located on the mainland and the cheapest way to get there from Penang Island is to take the car ferry from George Town to Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal, which is very close to Butterworth Railway Station.
Train | Penang (Butterworth) | Padang Besar | Service |
2940 | 05:25 | 07:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2944 | 06:25 | 08:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2948 | 07:25 | 09:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2952 | 08:25 | 10:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2954 | 09:25 | 11:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2956 | 10:25 | 12:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2960 | 12:25 | 14:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2964 | 14:25 | 16:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2966 | 15:25 | 17:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2968 | 16:25 | 18:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2972 | 17:25 | 19:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2976 | 18:25 | 20:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2980 | 19:25 | 21:16 | KTM Kommuter |
2984 | 21:25 | 23:16 | KTM Kommuter |
Train 2: Padang Besar to Surat Thani
The single daily connecting train service to Surat Thani departs from Padang Besar Railway Station every day at 18:00 Malaysian time. which is 17:00 Thailand time. Allow yourself at least 30 minutes to pass through both Malay and Thai immigration before you can board Train #46, which is a Thailand Train service.
Train | Padang Besar | Surat Thani | Service |
46 | 17:00 | 23:04 | Special Express |
- Buy train tickets from Padang Besar to Surat Thani.
Butterworth Railway Station
The closest railway station to Penang Island is Butterworth Railway Station.
Padang Besar Railway Station
Trains from Butterworth terminate at Padang Besar Railway Station and this where you board a Thailand Train service to Surat Thani.
Surat Thani Railway Station
Surat Thani Railway Station is located 16 km from Surat Thani city centre.
Travel from Surat Thani to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui
There are two routes you can take to travel from Surat Thani to Koh Samui or Koh Phangan. The quickest route is to take a Lomprayah High Speed Ferry service to both Koh Samui and Koh Phangan (same ferry) from Tapee Lomprayah Pier. Tapee Lomprayah Pier is located 22.9 km by road from Surat Thani Railway Station. Lomprayah High Speed Ferry services from Tapee Pier to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui depart every day at 09:00, 11:30 and 15:30.

The other way to travel to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan is to take either a Seatran or Raja car ferry, both of which depart from ferry ports in the coastal region of Donsak. Donsak is over 80 km by road from Surat Thani Railway Station. Both the Seatran and Raja Ferry companies sail from Donsak to Koh Samui every hour (on the hour) from 05:00 to 18:00. The Raja Ferry company also operates ferries from Donsak to Koh Phangan which depart every day at 06:00, 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00.