BANGKOK: Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to revive the Bangkok-Padang Besar-Butterworth direct train service, according to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).
Chief of the Governor's Office of the SRT, Ekkarat Sriarayanphong, said the plan was agreed upon in principle during the 42nd Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB)-SRT joint conference held last week in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysia's state of Sabah.
The SRT had previously cancelled its daily express service between Bangkok and Butterworth in 2016, limiting operations to Padang Besar at the Malaysia-Thailand border.
Following the meeting, Ekkarat said a joint working group would be established to consider opening the extended train route from Bangkok Central Station-Padang Besar to Butterworth station.
"The initial phase will be a trial run for six months," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 20).
Ekkarat said the revival of the train service was part of a plan to expand cooperation in providing rail services connecting Thailand and Malaysia, facilitating public travel and seamless cross-border goods transportation.
"The extension of this tourist train route will be beneficial to promoting tourism and increasing income for the country," he said.
Ekkarat said SRT and KTMB also agreed to promote tourism by extending the route for the Malaysian holiday excursion train My Sawasdee. The service currently terminates at Hat Yai but will be extended to Surat Thani at a date to be discussed later.
Currently, My Sawadee operates only on holidays, taking Malaysians from Kuala Lumpur and stops in Hat Yai, which is very popular with Malaysian visitors.
Ekkarat said the meeting in Kota Kinabalu also discussed expanding cooperation in freight transport, with the SRT expressing willingness to support cross-border freight transport and routes in Thailand such as the Padang Besar-Hat Yai Junction route. – Bernama
