Thailand and Malaysia have agreed to revive the direct train service
between Bangkok and Butterworth in Penang. The first train is scheduled
to be flagged off before the end of the year.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) halted its express service in
2016 , leaving passengers on the route to switch trains at the Malaysian
border town of Padang Besar.
The resumption of the direct service acknowledges the growing appeal
of rail travel in Asia and the success of the Asean Express train
service from Malaysia – Thailand – Laos – China.
The railway companies of Malaysia and Thailand have also agreed to
extend the route of the MySawasdee tourist train further north to Surat
Thani.
MySawasdee operates only during holiday periods, taking travellers
from Kuala Lumpur to Hat Yai. The extended route to Surat Thani is
expected to boost tourism to Thailand’s resort islands of Ko Samui, Ko
Tao, and Ko Pha Ngan.