Bangkok–Kuala Lumpur direct train service to resume this year

The route will make use of existing railway infrastructure connecting the two cities.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook recently met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit to discuss the initiative, according to The Independent.

Loke announced that Malaysia's Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), the country's main railway operator, and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), Thailand's state-owned rail operator, have been assigned to relaunch the cross-border route.

"This doesn't require a new track but does call for coordination, joint marketing, and cooperative ticketing between the two countries," Loke told Bernama.

The reinstated service will allow passengers to travel between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur without needing to change trains. Details regarding travel duration and ticket pricing have not yet been finalized.

The SRT previously operated an express train service from Bangkok to Butterworth, near Kuala Lumpur. However, the route was discontinued in 2016 and now terminates at Padang Besar station, a shared border facility located in Thailand's Songkhla Province.

The suspension followed the completion of Malaysia's Ipoh–Padang Besar Electrified Double Track Project (EDTP), which upgraded the line to electric trains. As a result, Thai diesel trains were no longer able to continue past the Padang Besar border station.