State Railway of Thailand governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra said the service had been launched to satisfy increasing demand on the route. He continued by saying the services were aimed at people commuting between the two locations plus the many foreign tourists who travelled between the two neighbouring nations.
The governor said the twin-carriage diesel railcars would make the 60km trip twice in each direction every day. He finished off by saying the carriages were air-conditioned and one-way fares were THB80.
The extra daily services have increased options for travellers. Four international express trains a day call at Hat Yai and Padang Besar. These are the south and northbound Bangkok-Butterworth and Hat Yai-Kuala Lumpur services.
Both Thailand and Malaysia maintain immigration offices at Padang Besar. This has made it a popular crossing with visa-runners over the years. Prior to the launch of the new service, they had to take mini-buses or taxis from Hat Yai if they could not catch one of the international expresses.
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Thailand inaugurates commuter train service to Malaysia
News in Asia
The governors of the Thai and Malaysian national rail companies presided over ceremonies on Monday to inaugurate a new service. The two jointly cut the ceremonial ribbon that launched daily services between the southern Thai town of Hat Yai and Padang Besar on the Malaysian border.