GEORGE TOWN: What joy it will be to get on a train in Butterworth and reach Bangkok again.
“We used to have this every day, but they stopped it last time.
“Reviving it is a great idea, and I hope the schedule has daily departures.
“Historically, we had this for almost a century and it has always been beneficial to both sides,” said Penang Tourist Guides Association president Clement Liang.
Liang said with the border land points always packed with cars, this was a pleasant alternative for Penangites heading to Thailand and for Thais coming here as well.
“We will definitely see more tourists now from Thailand,” he said yesterday.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents Penang chairman Carolyn Leong said this was good for tourists coming from Bangkok to visit Malaysia and vice versa.
“It makes travel cheaper for locals, even though it will be time-consuming compared to travelling by plane,” she said.
Leong expected a surge in travel between Butterworth and Bangkok in the coming months.
The Railway of Thailand’s (SRT) Chief of the Governor’s Office, 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.
This daily railway service was cancelled in 2016.
In the Kota Kinabalu meeting, Ekkarat said a joint working group would be established to work towards reopening the extended train route from Bangkok Central Station, via Padang Besar, to the Butterworth train station.
“The initial phase will be a trial run for six months,” Ekkarat said.
He 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.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president Nigel Wong said the resumption of this extended route would significantly boost tourism between Malaysia and Thailand.
“Penang will be an immediate benefactor.
“Then international tourists coming through Thailand can also visit all of Malaysia via other KTM lines,” he said.
Wong stressed that states along the KTM lines, particularly those in the north like Penang and Ipoh, should seize the opportunity to market their cities and state attractions more aggressively to tourists.
When asked about Thailand reporting that Malaysian visitors topped the list of arrivals to their country with more than 3.8 million arrivals between January and Nov 12, 2023, Wong said it was an expected eventuality and that it would only increase in the future.
“This move will potentially result in an increase of tourists to both countries and provide options for Malaysians holidaying closer to home,” he said.
