Train service resumed from Hat Yai to border town Padang Besar

With borders finally reopened, the train between Southern Thailand town of Hat Yai and the Malaysian border town of Padang Besar has resumed service. The train had ceased operation more than two years ago when international borders closed during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, passengers can once again take rail service to the border between Malaysia and Thailand with the first trains running between the cities yesterday. The State Railway of Thailand says the newly-resumed regular service includes two trains per day with a morning departure and an afternoon journey.

From Hat Yai to Padang Besar, two departures a day will run at 7.30am (number 947) and 2pm (number 949), while trains run in the opposite direction at 8.55am (number 948) and at 3.40pm (number 950).

The service is expected to be busy, so be sure to buy tickets in advance through the SRT website.

Rail travel is now once again an option for people who need to cross the border, as travellers from Songkhla province where Hat Yai is located can now take a train that links right at the border in Sadao distract checkpoint in the small town of Padang Besar, one of the most popular crossings for people making border runs.

The train schedule is timed to coincide with connecting trains just across the border that carry passengers deeper into Malaysia, with rail service to popular destinations for travellers like Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

The route is often used for expats living in Thailand who need to make border runs as they can travel from destinations around the south of Thailand to an easy border crossing in Padang Besar. Many foreigners walk across the border into Malaysia and back into Thailand again in order to receive a required stamp in their passport, While others with more complex visa needs will often pass through this border to go to foreign embassies in Penang.

After more than two years, reaching the southern border of Thailand by train is now finally a travel option again.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post