Butterworth railway station is conveniently located next to the bus and ferry terminal, south of the town centre. It is a major rail terminal for Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) trains heading south to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and north to Hat Yai in Thailand as well as the State Railways of Thailand's International Express to Bangkok.
• To/from Kuala Lumpur - from Kuala Lumpur the Senandung Langkawi arrives at Butterworth at 05:40 and then departs for Hat Yai. In the other direction, the train from Hat Yai arrives at Butterworth at 22:30 and departs for Kuala Lumpur. The Ekspres Sinaran runs on Sundays between Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth. It departs Kuala Lumpur at 08:10 and arrives at Butterworth at 15:50. From Butterworth, trains leave at 08:00 and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 16:05.
• From Bangkok - an overnight train departs Bangkok daily at 14:45 (Thai time). It is scheduled to arrive at Butterworth at 12:55 (Malaysian time) but normally gets there late, usually around 14:00-14:30. Fares vary depending on the type of berth and carriage; an air-con upper berth costs 1,120 baht (as at April 2007). The surcharge for a bicycle is 104 baht to the border; a further small freight charge may be made by KTMB for the border-Butterworth leg.
• To Bangkok - the International Express leaves Butterworth daily at 13:15, going via Hat Yai, Surat Thani (for Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao), Chumphon, Hua Hin, etc.
By bus
• To/from Kuala Lumpur - almost hourly, journey takes 5 hours and costs around 25 ringgit. The bus station, is just a few yards from the train station, located under the highway overpass. Any train station representative can point you in the direction of the bus stop.
If you are in a rush to get to KL, the bus may be your best bet. The journey time can be half as long. Most of the coaches have AC,
