Penang to Phuket

There are three parts to the journey by train from Penang to Phuket. The first part of the journey is by train to Padang Besar. The second part of the journey is by train from Padang Besar to Surat Thani. The final part of the journey is by bus from Surat Thani to Phuket.

Part 1: Train from Penang to Padang Besar

There are currently 18 train services a day from Penang (Butterworth Railway Station) to Padang Besar.

• Tickets: Train tickets from Penang to Padang Besar are available for purchase at Butterworth Railway Station on the day of travel. Online booking is not available for these services.

Part 2: Train from Padang Besar to Surat Thani

There is currently 1 train service per day from Padang Besar to Surat Thani in Thailand.

• Tickets: Buy train tickets from Padang Besar to Surat Thani.

The train from Padang Besar departs at 17:00 Thailand time, which is 18:00 in Malaysia.

Part 3: Bus from Surat Thani to Phuket

There are currently 9 bus services a day departing from Surat Thani Railway Station and travelling direct to Phuket.

• Tickets: Buy bus tickets from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket.

Penang Railway Station

Read more about Butterworth Railway Station.

Padang Besar Railway Station

Read more about Padang Besar Railway Station.

Surat Thani Railway Station

Read more about Surat Thani Railway Station.

Phuket Bus Station

Read more about Phuket Bus Terminal 2.

About Travel to Phuket

The journey by train from Penang to Phuket takes from 20 to 22 hours, however, a large part of the overall journey time is spent staying overnight in Surat Thani until connecting bus services to Phuket depart the following morning.

Komuter Service from Penang to Padang Besar

The journey by train to Phuket commences with a relatively short journey on a KTM Komuter service:

• Seat Type: No allocated seating
• Journey Time: 1 hour 51 minutes

KTM Koumter services are different to the long distance ETS services. One of the differences is that tickets are not available for purchase in advance. They need to be purchased at the train station on the day of travel. Another difference is that seats are not allocated. Passengers need to find a vacant seat. A third major difference is in the layout of the carriage. ETS Koumter services have fewer seats and standing areas in each carriage.

Immigration Procedures

Before boarding a train for the second part of the journey, from Padang Besar to Surat Thani in Thailand, travellers need complete immigration exit procedures for Malaysia, and also immigration entry procedures for Thailand.

There is an immigration centre on the ground floor of Padang Besar Railway Station specifically intended for use by passengers travelling between Malaysia and Thailand by train. The centre, which has both a Malaysian and a Thai immigration desk, opens 1 to 2 hours prior to the departure of trains to Thailand, and also after the arrival of trains from Thailand.

Train to Thailand

The second part of the journey to Phuket is by Thai train service as far as Surat Thani:

• Seat Type: 2nd Class A/C Sleeper
• Journey Time: 5 hours 47 minutes

The train service from Padang Besar to Surat Thani, Train #46, is a diesel train service operated by the State Railways of Thailand. There is only one seat type available on this train, which is a sleeper berth in a 2nd class air-conditioned carriage. These seats are normally converted in to flat beds, with a sheet and pillow, between 18:00 and 19;00.

Staying Overnight in Surat Thani

Surat Thani Railway Station is located 16 km by road from Surat Thani City in a small town called Tha Kham. There are 2 hotels within 200 metres walking distance of the main entrance to the train station (Queen Hotel and Phunphin Station). There are also 2 convenience stores and some late night food stalls located near Surat Thani Railway Station.

For a better range of accommodation you need to take a taxi to Surat Thani City. There is a taxi rank to the left side of the main entrance as you exit from Surat Thani Railway Station. The fares are typically stated on a sign on the roof of the taxi rank. The charge from the train station to Surat Thani City is around 160 THB.

Bus to Phuket

The third and final part of the journey by train from Penang to Padang Besar is to take a connecting bus service from Surat Thani to Phuket.

There are lots of connecting bus services from Surat Thani Railway Station to destinations such as Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Krabi, as well as to Phuket. These connecting bus services all depart from the same location which is a car park to the left side of the main entrance as you exit from Surat Thani Railway Station. The car park is easy to identify firstly because there will be lots of passengers waiting there for bus services, secondly because of the clock tower in the middle of the car park, and third because it has a row of cafes and travel agents including Wut Travel.

What most travellers do is to have a drink or breakfast at one of these cafes in the car park and wait for their bus. There are normally lots of travel agency and bus company staff in this area trying to locate their pre-booked customers and all travellers need to do is to show their onward ticket to one of this operatives and they will receive directions to their specific bus service.

Arrival in Phuket

All of the direct bus services from Surat Thani Railway Station to Phuket terminate at Phuket Bus Terminal 2. Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is an out of town bus station located just under 5 km by road to the north of Phuket Town.

The only public local transport from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 is a shared taxi service which travels to Phuket Bus Terminal 1. Phuket Bus Terminal 1 is located in the centre of Phuket Town and is one of the town’s two local transport hubs, with inexpensive services to destinations across the island, including Patong.

The shared taxi service from Phuket Bus Terminal 2 to Phuket Bus Terminal 1 departs from platform 12 inside the bus station about once every 20 minutes from 06:00 to 20:00.